THE Green Party bucked the national trend as they stormed to victory in Brighton in the European Parliament elections.

On a night when Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party swept Sussex, the South East and most of England, the Greens ran out as clear winners in the city.

They also secured victories in Bristol and Norwich.

In Brighton and Hove they won 32,594 votes, ahead of the Liberal Democrats in second place with 20,337.

The Brexit Party came third in the city with 15,914, followed by Labour on 11,875.

The Conservatives finished fifth on 4,739, narrowly beating Change UK on 4,478.

Ukip picked up just 944 votes.

And it was a big night for Brighton and Hove’s newly-elected mayor Alexandra Phillips, who became a Green Party MEP for the South East.

At 33, the councillor for Regency Ward is the city’s youngest-ever mayor.

The former teacher will now have to balance that responsibility with representing the region in Strasbourg.

She said: “It’s the honour of a lifetime to be elected as an MEP for South East England.

“I want to make something very clear to those living in this part of the UK.

“Many of you weren’t born in our country, you have made a home here more recently. I stand with you.

“Many of you didn’t have a vote in this election, some of you were denied one even though you had a legal right to one. I stand with you. I am your MEP.

“And I have a message for those MEPs elected across the country this evening who aim to use their position in Brussels to spread fear and hate.

“The demagogues dressing up as democrats. I will stand against you.

“I will not hesitate to make the case for an open society – and for a country where people feel at home whether they’ve been here five weeks or 50 years.

“So wherever you’ve come from, I am here to work for you.”

Elsewhere in the county, as in the rest of England, the Brexit Party enjoyed sweeping success.

They won every other council area in Sussex, from Chichester in the west to Rother in the east and up to Crawley in the north.

And their leader Nigel Farage was elected to represent the South East.

The former Ukip leader said he would “change the shape of British politics”.

But Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion Caroline Lucas was among some Remain supporters who insist Mr Farage was wrong to say Leave had won the election.

She told the Today programme: “The Brexit Party got about 35 per cent of the vote and the strongly Remain parties got about 40 per cent of the vote.

“So either way you look at it the Brexit Party has got nothing like the 17 million they had before.

“The point is let’s just try and rule out the kind of terrifying vision for this country of no deal, that literally should go.”

Nationally the Conservatives were the main casualties of the Brexit Party’s advance, securing just 9 per cent of the vote in England and Wales, their worst ever national election share.

Labour also suffered a terrible night as voters split between the clear Brexit alternatives offered by Mr Farage and the pro-EU Liberal Democrats.

The scale of the Tory disaster was underlined by its single-digit vote share – in fifth place behind the Brexit Party on 33 per cent, Lib Dems on 21 per cent, Labour on 15 per cent and the Greens on 12 per cent after all results were in from England and Wales.

Just three Conservatives were elected in England and Wales, while the Brexit Party had 28 seats, overtaking the 24 MEPs that Mr Farage’s former party Ukip sent to the European Parliament in 2014.

The Lib Dems, reduced to just a single MEP in 2014, were on 15 after their best ever European results.

Labour had ten, halved from 20, the Greens – who also enjoyed a boost from pro-EU voters – were on seven, up from three in 2014.

Disappointing

Mr Farage said he was getting ready to fight a general election, warning that his Brexit Party could “stun everybody” if Britain had not left the EU by the next national contest.

“We’re not just here to leave the European Union but to try and fundamentally change the shape of British politics, bring it into the 21st century and get a Parliament that better reflects the country,” he said.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the dire results for the Conservatives meant the party faced an “existential risk” unless it delivered Brexit.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said the “hugely disappointing” results were a “clear lesson” that the public wants the Government to get on with Brexit.

Prominent Brexiteer and MEP Daniel Hannan, who clung on to his seat in the South East, said it was “without question our worst result as a party ever”.

Meanwhile two of Labour’s most senior figures, Emily Thornberry and Tom Watson, claimed their party had lacked a clear message as it sought to appeal to both Leave and Remain voters.

But Mr Corbyn said: “We had a very clear policy all along.

“We will call for a general election and a referendum to decide on the future.”

Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable said: “Our clear, honest, unambiguous message has won us our best ever European election result, and pushed Corbyn’s Labour into third place.”

The Green Party finished above the Conservatives for the first time in a national election.

Co-leader Sian Berry said: “There is clear evidence of strong support for the UK remaining in the European Union, but also for tackling the causes of Brexit – the massive damage done to communities by austerity, tax-dodging and diminution of workers’ rights.”