Green Party leader Caroline Lucas has declared her party the ‘real challengers’ in the Gorton by-election – claiming people are ‘fed up’ with the city’s Labour party and no longer trust the Lib Dems.

Ms Lucas told the M.E.N. that Manchester’s Labour-dominated ‘one party state’ needs a ‘shake-up’, adding: “Even just one Green would make a massive difference.”

The Greens came second in Gorton in the 2015 general election and runner-up in four of the constituency’s wards at last year’s local polls, including in Whalley Range, where they netted more than a quarter of the vote.

Ms Lucas admitted that gaining traction as a smaller party is ‘very difficult’, - but insisted the Greens were now the real alternative both in Gorton and in Manchester generally, where all four sitting MPs and 95 out of 96 councillor are Labour.

“I would consider us to be the real challengers, yes, and I think what we’re discovering on the doorstep is that there are plenty of people who are both fed up with Labour but who won’t trust the Lib Dems fully again,” she said.

“Therefore they are looking for a credible alternative and I think that’s what the Greens can offer.

“And I think that particularly in terms of an appeal to young people, so many big issues we’re tackling I think really resonate with them – whether we’re talking about tuition fees for the many students who live in the constituency, or whether we’re talking about things like lack of affordable housing.”

She said Manchester’s Labour-dominated council had done far too little to challenge the housing problems faced by younger generations.

“Labour has had years in power on the local council to do more on that and they simply haven’t done it,” she said.

“People just feel it’s been a bit of a one-party state for too long, and particularly on housing they’ve just failed to take practical measures to make housing more affordable, to regulate the private rented sector and so on.

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“Even just one Green would make a massive difference. It really would shake up politics, whereas one more Labour MP frankly wouldn’t make much difference.

“So I think this is a real opportunity for the Greens to be that credible and real opportunity for people who are wanting to shake politics up in Manchester.”

As well as fighting on an affordable housing and anti-austerity platform, the party’s Gorton candidate Jess Mayo is hoping to challenge Labour’s stranglehold on the seat by offering answers to rising concerns over air pollution.

Ms Lucas said there were ways politicians improve the city’s environment without being unrealistic about the amount of public cash available.

That ultimately comes down to ‘political will’, she said, suggesting ‘clean air zones’ similar to those currently being proposed for London.

“Some measures can be taken that are not resource intensive, such as making clean air zones and making safer streets so it’s safer for children to walk to school,” she said.

“Air pollution is a killer. There’s so much now that can be done – low-tech interventions that can make a difference if the political will is there.

“So while it would be wonderful to tap into budgets that would allow you to make public transport cheaper, more accessible, running late into the evening and all of those things, even without that I think you can make a significant difference if the political will is there to do it.

“Taking some of those steps around clean air zones, making sure you don’t have some of the more polluting vehicles driving in, I think that can make a real difference.”

The Greens are also hoping to take on both Labour and the Lib Dems as the party of Europe.

An estimated 62pc of Gorton’s constituents voted to Remain in the EU referendum, an issue she said was ‘definitely’ coming up on the doorstep.

That is particularly relevant to the constituency’s many students and younger people, she said, adding: “I think Labour’s record on Brexit is one that has just disillusioned so many people – that sense that they just didn’t put up a fight.

“Before even trying they were waving a white flag to the government saying ‘of course we will support you in triggering Article 50’, come what may.

“If people want to vote for a party to say we want to remain as close to the EU as possible, we want to stand up for freedom of movement and social and environmental protection – but we’re concerned about the Lib Dem track record of delivering their promises – then the logical place to go in a place like Manchester, where we were second before, is the Greens.”