Greens make gains in Brighton

After targeting student vote.

Caroline Lucas has won a majority of almost 8,000 in Brighton Pavilion with manifesto pledges to abolish tuition fees and increase public spending on science. She held on to her seat after a vigorous campaign in the constituency’s two universities saw her capitalise on the Greens’ popularity among students.

Lucas increased her share of the vote by 10 percentage points to 41.8 per cent, building on her narrow win over Labour in 2010. Lucas told HE in April that she was spending considerable time campaigning at the universities of Sussex and Brighton, where she saw a positive reaction to the Green’s policy to scrap tuition fees and forgive student debt as well as its progressive stance on issues such as climate change and social justice.