Labour party members have issued a stark warning to the only Green MP Caroline Lucas following their shock by-election win.
Councillor and former Labour group leader, Gill Mitchell, said the Pavilion MP should be “very worried” adding “we’re coming for you”.
The fighting talk came after party candidate Emma Daniel won the Hanover and Elm Grove by-election on Thursday (July 11) night.
The 37-year secured 1,396 votes compared to the Green Party candidate David Gibson’s 1,358.
Coun Mitchell added: “I’m delighted, this is a historic victory and it paves the way for more success for Labour in 2015.
“Emma is going to make an outstanding councillor. People have really taken to her and I know she will work extremely hard for everybody in the ward.
“We’ve overturned a 900 majority and achieved a 12% swing. Caroline Lucas should now be very very worried.
“Labour is coming for you. We are resurgent. We have changed our party structure, we are campaigning for every single seat in Brighton and Hove and we are going to win.”
FULL REACTION
Councillor Emma Daniel said: “I’m really delighted. This was very much a team result, everyone worked so hard.
“I think that our positive campaign was the key to success. We didn’t try and criticise, we just explained our vision and people were turned on by that. For us this is the first step towards 2015 and an election victory for Labour.
“My message to my voters is firstly ‘thank you so much’, it just shows that every vote counts. It was very close but we came a long way.
"We had a mountain to climb and we climbed that mountain.
“For those who didn’t vote for me, I promise to be fair and I promise to represent your interests.”
David Gibson, Green Party candidate, said: “I’m disappointed, it was very close. There were a lot of issues going on which made it a difficult time for us. The students were away and the aftermath of the Citycelan dispute was still very much at play.
“I don’t think that was the only issue but the timing wasn’t great.”
Asked if this was a sign of things to come for the Greens, he added: “I think in 2015 Hanover and Elm Grove will have three Green councillors.
Geoffrey Theobald, Conservative group leader, said: “The ward is one very much for the left-wing parties.
“Quite frankly if the Labour Party can only win it by 38 votes, then it shows that there isn’t a great deal of confidence.
“It just goes to show what the public think. They clearly feel that the Greens are not up to the job but they aren’t convinced by Labour either.”
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