Open Letter to Jo Swinson, Leader of the Liberal Democrats
Dear Jo
We write as leaders of pro-European groups across the country to ask you to support our “Boot out Boris” campaign.
We want the Lib Dems to back Labour in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, where there’s a real chance to kick Boris Johnson out. The 7% you are polling there could be the difference between success and failure.
We know we are asking you a lot to help Labour without any reason to think Jeremy Corbyn will return the favour. But if Johnson wins a majority, he’ll drag us out of the EU. So we implore you to look to the national interest.
We also know you are already only running a paper candidate in Uxbridge. But we want you to go further and support Labour there.
A similar letter is being sent to Corbyn asking Labour to support the Lib Dems in Esher and Walton, where you can bring down Dominic Raab. But to be clear, we don’t want you to wait for him to say yes. Time is terribly short, so we want you to take unilateral action.
These aren’t the only seats where backing off can make a big difference. You should step back in places like Chingford (where Iain Duncan Smith is vulnerable), Wakefield (where Labour’s Mary Creagh needs help) and South West Hertfordshire (where David Gauke could win).
Labour should pull back in the likes of Wokingham (where John Redwood is facing the heat), Chelsea and Fulham (where Nicola Horlick has a chance) and Beaconsfield (where Dominic Grieve is standing).
Most voters want to stay in the EU. If we split the vote, Johnson will cruise to victory.
To boot out the Tories, we have to vote tactically for the candidates with the best chance of beating them. If you step back where you don’t stand a chance, that message will be heard loud and clear across the land.
Best wishes
Aylesbury for Europe
Banbury for Europe
Bath For Europe
Berkshire for Europe
Best for Doncaster
Bradford for Europe
Bremain in Spain
Brent 4 Europe
Bridgend for Europe
Brighton & Hove for EU
Bristol for Europe
Britain for Europe
British in France
Cambridge Stays
Cheltenham for Europe
Chester for Europe
Chipping Norton Stays
Colchester and North Essex for Europe
Colchester for Europe
Cotswolds for Europe
Croydon for Europe
Devizes for EU
Devon for Europe
Dorset for Europe
Ealing European Movement
East Herts for Europe
East Kent European Movement
East London for Europe
East London Network Against Brexit
Ely for Europe
Enfield for Europe
EU in Brum
EU in Walsall
EU in Warley
EUnity Lewes
European Movement Derbyshire
European Movement East Midlands
European Movement Eastbourne
European Movement Hammersmith, Fulham, Kensington, Chelsea
European Movement Macclesfield & East Cheshire
European Movement Mendip
European Movement Merseyside
European Movement Mid Kent
European Movement Milton Keynes
Flintshire For Europe
Glasgow Loves EU
Grantham For a People’s Vote
Greenwich for Europe
Hampshire European Movement
Hampshire for Europe
Harrow and Hillingdon European Movement.
Havering for EU
Hemel Hempstead People’s Vote
Herefordshire for Europe
Hope for Europe
Hull and East Yorkshire for Europe
InFacts
Islington in Europe
Kirklees for Europe
Lancaster for Europe
Ledbury for Europe
Leominster 4 EU
Lewisham East for Europe
Lewisham West & Penge in Europe
Lincolnshire European Movement
Liverpool for Europe
London4Europe and Waltham Forest European Movement
Manchester for Europe
Merseyside for Europe
Mole Valley European Movement
New Europeans (London)
New Forest for Europe
Norfolk for Europe
North East for Europe
North East Lincolnshire European Movement
North Hampshire for Europe
North Herts for Europe
North Somerset 4 Europe
North Wiltshire and Chippenham for EU
North Yorkshire for Europe
Northumberland Angels for Europe
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire People’s Vote
Open Britain Berkshire
Open Britain Mid Sussex
Open Britain Shrewsbury
Open Britain Sutton
Open Britain Thame
Oxford European Movement
Oxford for Europe
People’s Vote Buckingham
People’s Vote Witney
Peoples Vote Witney and West Oxfordshire
Perth for Europe
Project Hope
Romsey Better in Europe
Scientists for EU
Seahaven Staying In
Selby for Europe
Sevenoaks Swanley Tonbridge in Europe
Shoreham for EU
Sixteen Million Rising
Somerset LOVEs Europe
South & West Yorkshire for Europe
South Southwark for Europe
South West Surrey European Movement
Southampton for Europe
Stockton for Europe
Stratford for Europe
Streatham for Europe
Stroud for Europe
Suffolk EU Alliance
Swansea for Europe
Swindon for Europe
Thornbury and Yate People’s Vote
Tunbridge Wells IN
Wales for Europe
Warrington for Europe
Watford for Europe
We Are For Europe
Weaver Vale for Europe
Wellingborough for Europe & Northampton for a People’s Vote
NHS for a People’s Vote
Welwyn Hatfield for Europe
Wessex for Europe
West Berkshire for Europe
West Dorset for Europe
West Lancashire for Europe
West Mercia European Movement
Windsor for EU
Women for a People’s Vote
Women for Europe
Worcestershire for Europe
World Wide Wednesday
Yes to Europe
York for Europe
134 signatories
Readers can sign our petition calling on the Lib Dems to back off in Uxbridge to bring down Johnson and our petition calling on Labour to back off in Esher to bring down Raab
So sad that this even has to happen. The one instance that opposition has a chance to oppose!
I am a Liberal Party Member, but I think this is worth the risk to remove the Tyranical Tory Leadership.
Adrian
Indeed a moment of holding your nose and swallow the bitter Corbyn pill just to prevent worse from happening.
Yes I agree – we have to vote with our head and not heart – we must keep Johnson out he is not fit to be priminister. He has and is constantly lying to the people of this country we dont have to put up with it. He cannot be trusted to tell the truth – we must get rid of him – boot out Johnson
I’m sure all these worthy bodies mean well but a little thought will tell them how counter-productive their advice could be. Defeating Johnson in his own seat would no doubt look spectacular but is highly unlikely to happen and would merely force him creating an early by-election in a safe Tory seat. In the meantime brexit would go ahead with the only means to stop it – a range of Lib Dem victories in Conservative seats -destroyed by accusations that Swinson is supporting Corbyn’s bid to become PM. The Lib Dems are quite rightly firmly opposed to either Corbyn or Johnson getting the keys to No. 10. At this stage a unilateral declaration of support for a Labour candidate would be totally counter-productive.
In my constituency we have a Tory Brexit fanatic also very relaxed about No Deal, so I see it as our priority to just find ourselves another MP. It is literally a case, of anyone else will do.
Having heard both the Lib Dem and Labour candidates, I have to say the Lib Dem candidate was streets ahead of the Labour one. She spoke with conviction and character, came out on top in the exchanges and her answers were exactly as I would have hoped for. The Labour guy, on the other hand, was trotting out the Corbynesque lines almost as if he was reading from a script. And hardly mentioned Brexit. However, I will be voting for him. Why?
All the tactical voting sites have Labour down as the Tory alternative with the greatest chance of success. Although my suspicions are that the pollsters have merely taken the last 2 General Elections and extrapolated the forecast from there. They both showed Labour well ahead of Lib Dems. Although the LDs did better in the Euro election I realise that that is not representative of the whole electorate.
So with a heavy heart I’m voting Labour to keep out Boris. The way I look at it is, Corbyn is 70, so he’s not going to be around in the long term. On the other hand, Brexit will be pretty much irreversible. The EU will not want to go through the same saga in reverse, and if they did, it would be without the opt outs, and with membership of the euro.
This is probably our last chance to stop Brexit. That’s why its imperative we all vote tactically.
Replying to Denis Loretto: it’s a fair point, but not necessarily so.
By convention the monarch appoints as PM the person best able to command the confidence of the House of Commons. I don’t see how that could be Johnson if he isn’t even sitting, and neither can I see the appointment being put off while he scrabbles around for a surer constituency and the ensuing by-election.
-A.
@Andy Cook
Sorry, but if the Tories get an overall majority the Queen is bound to invite the leader of the Tories to form a government despite the fact that the said leader will have been appointed as a matter of urgency in the immediate aftermath of the election. It will then be up to the Tories to decide whether to retain that new leader or to revert to Johnson after the necessary by-election.
By the way don’t get me wrong – I am firmly in favour of tactical voting. It is now the only hope. As the Observer says today, people “should exercise their judgement and and, as their conscience allows, vote for the pro-referendum progressive candidate most likely to deny Johnson the opportunity wreak existential damage on our country.”