THE Isle of Wight Green Party has reselected Vix Lowthion to challenge Tory MP Andrew Turner at the next General Election.


Miss Lowthion last year secured the Green's biggest electoral success on the Island with 9,404 votes. She came third after Mr Turner and UKIP candidate Iain McKie, and it was the party's third best result in the country after Brighton Pavilion and Bristol West.

Her reselection was supported unanimously in an Island-wide ballot of Green Party members.

Miss Lowthion, 40, who teaches geology and history at the Island Innovation VI Form joined the Greens just two years ago.

For the past year she has been the party's national spokesperson on education and called for former Ofsted chair David Hoare's resignation after he branded the Isle of Wight a 'ghetto,' which he did. 

Having called for other parties on the Island to consider forming an alliance against Mr Turner, she said: "I am honoured to have been trusted again to fight for the Isle of Wight seat at the next Westminster election. 

"The Island deserves an MP from a party that understands tackling our climate crisis is at the core of transforming our society so it works for the common good. The Island could show the world how green tourism, energy technologies and good local food can provide jobs and a better quality of life in our community. 

"Yet there is much work to be done to tackle poverty, wider opportunities and employment for all Islanders. Government cuts to our local services need to be challenged and overcome with urgency.

"Caroline Lucas has clearly shown what a Green MP can achieve — bringing bills in parliament to support our NHS and railways, and fighting against fracking and for renewable energy. But imagine what we could do with more Greens in the House of Commons. The country needs greater Green representation — and the Isle of Wight is the place to make this happen."

Brighton MP Miss Lucas, when asked on Radio 4 last week where the Greens were more likely than Labour to defeat the Tories, said: "The Isle of Wight. Where the Tories came first, UKIP were second but the Greens are third so they are the party which is best placed there to bring the progressive vote together."

Chair of the Isle of Wight Greens, Daniel James, said: "The Green Party on the Island has grown in strength in the last two years, and this selection shows how motivated and organised we are to win a Green MP here.

"We have brought the process forward ahead of a possible snap election, and are confident of unifying Islanders’ opposition to this government behind a very popular candidate."