WINNING Green MP Caroline Lucas said she would resist a Conservative government and vote against a Queen’s Speech proposing it.

The newly re-elected Brighton Pavilion MP also said progressive parties needed to learn the lessons of this election and work together to overcome tribal party politics.

Ms Lucas said she was proud of the brave move the party took in standing aside to help progressive partners win seats from Conservatives and said she would consider a “confidence and supply” agreement to support a Jeremy Corbyn-led government – a move short of entering a formal coalition.

She said the “sea of blue” which characterised the Tories’ dominance in Sussex in 2015 was receding and she would be working hard in the next Parliament to continue that trend.

The Green co-leader won 30,139 votes, 7,200 more than she won in 2015, increasing her majority to 14,689 and taking her vote share over 50 per cent.

Labour’s Solomon Curtis, who was a late replacement for original candidate Michelle Thew, came second, increasing his party’s vote to 15,450.

While the 21-year-old graduate did not enjoy the same meteoric vote increases of some of his Labour colleagues, he did increase the party’s lead over the Conservatives.

He also became the first Labour candidate to increase the party’s vote since a high of 54.6 per cent for David Lepper during Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide victory

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

She continued a trend whereby the party’s vote share has dropped every election since 1974.

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 Pavilion in 2015.

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

It is the first time Ukip has been unable to increase its vote since first standing in 1997.

Independent Nick Yeomans was fifth with 376 votes.

Ms Lucas has increased her vote every 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.

There was a significant increase in turnout – up from 71.4 per cent in 2015 to 76.4 per cent and the highest since 1992.

Hove’s turnout of 78 per cent was a 67-year high with Labour and the Greens gathering a large number of the increased and first-time voters.

Ms Lucas credited her increased majority to voters responding to the party’s opposition to extreme Brexit, support for more investment in schools and hospitals and putting the environment and climate change on the agenda.

She said: “I am proud that we stood up for the precious gift of free movement and against the extreme Brexit for which Theresa May had no mandate before and certainly has no mandate now.

“Now it is more vital than ever that final deal that comes back from Brussels has to go back in front of the people for the ratification referendum.”

She added she was proud the party had backed the progressive alliance which had been successful in Brighton Kemptown.

She said: “Back in 2015, the People’s Republic of Brighton and Hove was formed out of a sense of pride about what Brighton and Hove had done, that island of green and red in a sea of blue.

“Today that sea of blue is receding, hope is growing, people have shown we can do politics differently and I’ll be fighting in Parliament to ensure that happens.”

Mr Curtis said: “The high turnout is absolutely a positive. That’s why we were knocking on doors and telling people even if you don’t vote for us, get out and vote.

“At the end of the day we only had one Labour seat in this area and actually within Brighton and Hove we have doubled that representation.

“We are seeing a lot of seats that were Tory going Labour or Lib Dem and that’s a good thing.

“It brings a diversity to our region and particularly for us it shows that Labour can win in the South East.

“Obviously we would have liked to be the largest party but we have won more seats and won more votes and he fought this campaign hard while The Tories ran a very weak campaign.

“What we have to do now is look at how we can govern in the interests of people in a difficult hung Parliament situation.”