THE Green Party is being urged not to field candidates in more seats across the county to help progressive candidates win back Conservative seats.

The party has agreed it will not put up a candidate in Brighton Kemptown in the hope Labour can win back the seat they lost to Conservative Simon Kirby seven years ago.

The call comes as more progressive alliance horse-trading has seen the Women’s Equality Party (WEP) decide against fielding a candidate in Brighton Pavilion and four other seats where the Greens have a female candidate.

In return, the Greens will stand aside in Shipley in Yorkshire to allow WEP leader Sophie Walker to challenge Conservative Philip Davies.

But Liberal Democrats in Lewes hoping the Green Party would reciprocate their decision not to stand against Caroline Lucas look set for disappointment with Katie Hawks announced yesterday as Green candidate in the town.

Green Alfie Stirling won 2,784 votes in the 2015 election with Tory Maria Caulfield claiming the seat with a majority of 1,083 votes.

Kelly-Marie Blundell, the Lib Dem candidate for Lewes, said: “ Parties need to work together to stop Theresa May’s determined hard Brexit which will damage our economy and our country. I hope Lewes Green Party will take a similar approach and stand down against the Liberal Democrats in the name of progressive politics.”

Eastbourne Lib Dem candidate Stephen Lloyd, said: “I am not going to do a formal alliance with the Greens or anyone in Eastbourne because the town knows I am the only one who can beat the Tories.

“Theresa May is going to be Prime Minister so it will be a choice whether people want an independently minded, progressive MP who will hold the government to account on cuts to the NHS, school funding and disability benefit or a backbench MP who will just tow the party line.”

Green elections coordinator Anthony Shuster said calls to stand down in Lewes must be matched with “a balanced gesture” from the Lib Dems.

He said their decision to stand down in Pavilion was an “empty gesture” because there was “no prospect” of a Tory win and the party needed to stand down in seats like the Isle of Wight where the Greens could win.

He added further offers were made to the Lib Dems but Greens accused them of not being prepared to offer any serious level of cooperation.