THE GREENS have enlisted top lawyers to fight a general election gag imposed yesterday by broadcast regulator Ofcom despite the party’s poll surge.

Leader Natalie Bennett said her party was preparing to take legal action to win air time if Ofcom maintained that the Greens were not a “major party.”

Ofcom’s ruling means the Greens would be denied election broadcasts on eight major TV and radio stations — despite having leapfrogged Nick Clegg’s loathed Lib Dems in the polls.

The party gained surprising support from Prime Minister David Cameron, who waded into the row insisting he would refuse to take part in planned televised debates unless the Greens were included.

Speaking to the Star yesterday, Ms Bennett revealed:

“We’ve been talking to lawyers this morning both in terms of this ruling and the leaders’ debates.

“We’re getting very strong and pro-bono support from high-profile lawyers who are helping us with this.”

Justifying its decision, Ofcom said in a statement that the Green Party had “not demonstrated significant past electoral support in general elections.”

It made the same statement about Ukip but ruled that Nigel Farage’s party should win broadcast rights based on “significant levels of support” in opinion polls.

Under the judgement the Green Party will lose its right to at least two broadcasts on major stations including ITV and Channel 4.

Ms Bennett said the decision risked damage to British democracy.

“Ofcom should not be making that option harder to find, but ensuring that voters have the chance to hear and judge the full range of political options today,” she said.

“There’s a lot of support for the anti-austerity message but none of the parties included in the leaders’ debates are anti-austerity.”

Ofcom’s “initial view” could be changed through their public consultation, which was flooded with responses by furious Green supporters yesterday.

Ms Bennett predicted that the broadcast ban could act as an “energising force” for her party ahead of May’s election.

“It does very clearly identify us as the anti-Establishment people,” she told the Star.