Lancaster Green councillor Gina Dowding wins MEP seat in EU elections

The Greens - with Gina Dowding in the centre - celebrate at the EU election count.

Lancaster Green councillor Gina Dowding has vowed to work hard in her new role as an MEP – but said she will not neglect her local duties.

Coun Dowding was voted in as an MEP for the north west region in last week’s European Union elections.

She is already a councillor for Lancaster City Council’s Marsh ward and for Lancshire County Council’s Lancaster Central ward.

And on Sunday evening she made it a hat-trick of roles as she was named the Green’s MEP for the north west.

New Green MEP Gina Dowding catching the Eurostar from St Pancras to Brussels for her first EU meeting.

The party scooped 216,581 votes, 12.48 per cent of the votes (216,581), an increase of 5.47 per cent.

Before heading off to Brussels today, Tuesday, for her first duty as MEP, Coun Dowding said: “I’m honoured to be elected. I will now work hard on our European Green party manifesto promises: to stop tax avoidance by global corporations; to encourage investment in creating jobs in sustainable industries and of course to promote a radical transformation of our energy systems to tackle the climate emergency.

“One of our priorities is to ban fossil fuel subsidies by governments across Europe, so that no one economy can undercut another with dirty fuel.

“I will of course be pushing for a People’s Vote on Europe, so that three years after the initial referendum, the public can decide on whether they want the deal that is negotiated or the option to remain.

“People know me as a Lancaster councillor and I will continue to work hard on casework and represent them on the city and county councils.

“I’ve got five hours on my first trip to Brussels on the train to catch up with casework.”

It was Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party who came out on top in the region, winning three seats with 31.23 per cent of the votes.

Labour won two seats with 21.91 per cent, as did the Lib Dems with 17.15 per cent.

Across the UK as a whole, The Brexit Party swept to victory as the Tories and Labour suffered a backlash from voters.

The pro-EU Liberal Democrats also piled on votes, indicating that the deep divisions exposed by the Brexit referendum continue to dominate British politics.

In total, the Brexit Party won 29 seats, overhauling the 24 MEPs that Mr Farage’s former party Ukip sent to the European Parliament in 2014.

The Lib Dems, who were reduced to just a single MEP in 2014, won 16.

Labour won 10, halved from 20, and the Greens – who also enjoyed a boost from pro-EU voters – won seven, up from three in 2014.

The Tories won just four three MEPs, having won 19 in 2014. The Scottish National Party won three seats while Plaid Cymru won one.