CAROLINE Lucas has successfully defended her Brighton Pavilion seat and extended her majority again.

The Green co-leader won 30,139 votes, almost 8,000 more than she won in 2015.

Labour’s Solomon Curtis, who was a late replacement for originally selected Michelle Thew who dropped out for health reasons, came second, increasing his party’s vote to 15,450.

Conservative Emma Warman, chosen for the constituency in part for her LGBT campaigner credentials, came third with 11,082 votes.

Ukip’s Ian Buchanan, who bagged almost ten per cent of the vote in neighbouring Brighton Kemptown two years ago, won 630 votes, a considerable reduction on the 2,724 the party won in 2015.

He will lose his £500 deposit for failing to net five per cent of the constituency vote.

Independent Nick Yeomans was fifth with 376 votes.

There was no Liberal Democrat candidate with Paul Chandler agreeing not to stand because the party shared similar views with Ms Lucas on Europe in a Brexit election and as a returned favour for the Greens not standing against the Lib Dems in the Richmond by-election last year.

Ms Lucas has increased her vote very time she has stood and the Green Party has increased its share every election since it first put forward a candidate in 1992.

Her 30,139 votes is a post-war record for the constituency.

In her victory speech, Ms Lucas said the election proved Prime Minister Theresa May had no mandate for an extreme Brexit.