The Greens have their eyes on five seats. In Sheffield Central, their erstwhile leader Natalie Bennett — best known for the excruciating interview in 2015 that she blamed on “brain fade” — is intent on transforming a second place in the last general election into a win.
Yet, since 2015, one significant development has hit the Greens’ election chances — Jeremy Corbyn. Especially in Sheffield Central, where the student population is the highest of any constituency in the UK.
In the beer garden of Sheffield University’s student union, Corbynmania has taken hold. Almost all will be voting Labour, despite admitting they would like, in an ideal world, to support the Greens.
“I align most with the Green Party,” said Matt Mankarious, 22, who had just finished his first year in medicine. “But we need to do everything we can to keep the Tories out of government and voting Green will just take votes away from Labour.”
Mr Corbyn’s leadership has also created another problem. “Last time it was quite fashionable for students to vote Green,” Mr Mankarious continued. “But now Corbyn has this huge movement and it’s very young, everyone loves him.”
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Ms Bennett has tried hard to penetrate the student vote — she launched her campaign outside the university library and is often seen attending talks and shows. But the Labour leadership has offered hope of a “viable socialist government” for many students.
Caroline Lucas, who co-leads the party with Jonathan Bartley, has accused the Labour leader of taking “huge swathes” of the 2015 Green manifesto and incorporating it into his own.
Apart from Ms Lucas’s Brighton Pavilion seat and Sheffield Central, the Greens are looking towards Bristol West, Bath and mostly the Isle of Wight — “I think that is the one which could surprise everyone,” Ms Lucas said.