The ‘Progressive Alliance’ is gathering momentum in south west London after the Green Party has decided to stand aside in two battleground seats.

Candidates for the Richmond Park and North Kingston and Twickenham constituencies were announced last week (April 26), but will no longer stand as the party is ‘discussing a progressive alliance with other parties in both seats’.

This follows similar decisions by the Greens in Ealing Central and in Brighton Kemptown, who are asking their supporters to vote for the Labour Party.

Richard Bennett, Richmond & Twickenham Green Party co-chair said: “We are proud to be at the vanguard of a growing movement to create a new kind of politics. Progressive parties must work together to put country before party.”

In the 2015 General Election, the Green Party’s vote share in Twickenham rose from 1.1 per cent to 4 per cent, and in Richmond Park grew from 1 per cent to 6 per cent.

In the Richmond Park by-election in December 2016, the party stood aside to encourage supporters to vote for the Liberal Democrat Sarah Olney, who then beat the incumbent Zac Goldsmith.

Mr Goldsmith ran as an independent after resigning his seat over the government’s position on Heathrow expansion, but has now been chosen as the candidate for the Conservative Party for this election.

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