Greens polling highest levels EVER for General Election

The Greens are at their highest level of support ever after a YouGov poll yesterday put the party (well, parties) on 8% across the UK, beating the Lib Dems.

The poll for the Sun, according to UK Polling Report, put the party support at:

CON 33%, LAB 32%, LDEM 7%, UKIP 15%, GRN 8%.

The eight point score for the Greens is the highest that YouGov have shown to date, and only the second time they’ve put them ahead of the Liberal Democrats.

The result is also, obviously, bad news for Labour, who are now effectively neck-and-neck with the Tories – despite years of austerity, stagnant wages and a UKIP surge which has bit deeply into Conservative support.

It follows polling data which shows that the Greens are averaging 6% for the first time ever – suggesting dozens of Greens will keep their deposits next year (good for party finances, impact and media coverage – and thus future elections).

More support…more seats?

Meanwhile, a top election website is predicting three Green MPs in next year’s General Election – although others suggest we will either lose Brighton or merely retain our seat.

UK Elect predicts that Labour will be 34 MPs short of a majority, potentially having to rely on the possible 38 SNP MPs, two dozen Lib Dems and scattering of Green and Plaid Cymru MPs.

ElectionForecast.co.uk similarly states:

Our current prediction is that there will be no overall majority, but that Labour will be the largest party with 284 seats.

This would again leave them reliant on smaller parties such as the nationalists, and maybe one or two Greens.

However, Brighton is hanging on a knife edge, with Labour putting everything they can into unseating Caroline. It’s still urgent for Greens to do everything they can to ensure she keeps her seat.

Nonetheless the signs are positive on a national level – with better public support spurring more coverage in a nicely self-perpetuating cycle. In theory, anyway.

Keep an eye out for Bright Green’s upcoming interview with Darren Hall, the Green Party candidate for what is often thought of a potential Green seat – Bristol West.

Josiah Mortimer is Green Movement co-editor of Bright Green.