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Greens get new member every 10 seconds to surge past Ukip's membership numbers ahead of general election

Increase follows media coverage that they were on verge of passing Farage

Thursday 15 January 2015 13:45 GMT

The Green parties have overtaken Ukip after a record-breaking surge in membership numbers.

The Greens – who are devolved into parties in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – received a boost of around 2,000 new members yesterday after media coverage that they were on the verge of overtaking Nigel Farage's party.

The parties now have a total of 43,829 people signed up across the UK. Ukip has confirmed 41,966 members as of present. Meanwhile, the SNP currently has 93,000 members.

Natalie Bennett, the leader of the Greens in England and Wales told London Live today that “there was an hour yesterday when a new person was joining every 10 seconds.”

Despite the surge in support, the Green Party has not been considered by Ofcom to be prominent enough to qualify for air time during slated TV debates ahead of the general election this May.

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

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1/13Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Taxes

Wealth tax of up to 2 per cent on the assets of 300,000 people who are worth more than £3m, the country’s richest 1 per cent

Corbis

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Wages

National minimum wage to be lifted to living-wage levels and to reach £10 an hour by 2020. Would also “curb boardroom excesses” by linking salaries at the top of companies to pay at the bottom

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Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Pensions

End pensioner poverty by introducing a weekly “citizen’s pension” of £170 for a single person and £300 for a couple

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Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Energy

Targets and timetables for improving efficiency and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions across all sectors. Wants electricity use to be reduced by a third by 2020, by half by 2030 and two-thirds by 2050

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Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Health

Accuses Labour and Tory governments of introducing privatisation by stealth into the NHS. Pledges to “maintain a publicly funded, publicly provided health service”

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Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Education

Money would be allocated to schools according to their needs rather than their status. Schools which remain in the private sector would be classed as businesses, have all charitable status removed and pay taxes

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Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Railways

Bring railway network back into public hands as franchises expire or if companies break the terms of their agreements

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Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Immigration

Rules would be “based on the principle of fair and prompt treatment of applicants rather than on excluding dishonest applicants whatever the cost to the honest ones”

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Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Food

Minimise transport of food and other agricultural products by supporting local food distribution and pressing for transport costs, especially air freight, to fully reflect environmental impact

Creative Commons

Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Farming

Phase out all “factory farming” and support a transition to small, free-range units, mixed rotational farming and extensive grazing. Would ban battery farming of poultry

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Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Genetic engineering

Moratorium on the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment and on the importation of food and feed containing GMOs, pending comprehensive assessment of the technology’s safety

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Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Cannabis

Possession, trade and cultivation of cannabis would be immediately decriminalised. Trade in cannabis would be examined by a Royal Commission, with a view to establishing a fully legalised and regulated trade

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Policies: Where the Greens stand on the major issues

Housing

Reform housing benefit to give greater help to poorer tenants and to prevent eviction or repossession of either private tenants or homeowners

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Ms Bennett said they were “deeply disappointed” by the decision while Brighton MP Caroline Lucas called it “grossly unfair”. Ms Bennett wrote an open letter to the leaders of the three main parties asking them to lobby ITV channel for the inclusion of the Greens.

Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron has been accused by Labour leader Ed Miliband this week to have been “running scared” of participating in discussions during the run up to the general election on 7 May by using the exclusion of Bennett as an “excuse”.

Mr Miliband said that the debates should still go ahead and that the production teams should “empty-chair” Mr Cameron if ends up being a no-show.

The leader of the opposition had said on BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show: “He is running scared of these debates. I want these debates to happen, I think they should happen with David Cameron or without David Cameron.”

The Greens have 35,481 members in England and Wales, 8,026 in the Scottish branch and 322 in the Northern Ireland division.

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