Pragmatism is what we need – and this pact needs to work vice versa too.
Sir Keir Starmer has suggested that his party will hold back in constituencies targeted by the Liberal Democrats to deny the Conservatives a majority at the next election.
The Labour leader said that while he would not enter any formal electoral pact, his “utter determination” to win power meant he was willing to be strategic about his party’s resources.
It comes as a YouGov poll for The Times suggests that support for the Conservatives is at its lowest point since the last general election, and Liberal Democrat support is at its highest.
Asked why he wouldn’t agree to an electoral pact with the Lib Dems, Starmer said: “I do think we should have a Labour candidate that people can vote for wherever they live, and depriving them of that is not the right thing to do. ”
But he added that he would focus his party on seats “in the places where we can win and we know we have to win”.
Speaking to Ayesha Hazarika in an interview to be broadcast on Times Radio today, Starmer indicated that Labour would hold back in seats where it did not have a realistic chance of defeating the Tories but the Lib Dems did.
He referred to recent by-elections where Tories were unseated by a Lib Dem, saying: “Chesham & Amersham, North Shropshire are not on my list of target seats. Am I pleased to see the Tories upended there? Yes, I am.”
The YouGov survey published today gives Labour a six-point lead over the Conservatives, up one point on last week. Of those polled, 30 per cent said they would vote Conservative, down two points on last week and the lowest proportion since September 2019.
Meanwhile, 12 per cent said they would back the Liberal Democrats, up two points on last week and their highest since 2019. Some 36 per cent said they would support Labour.
In the interview, Starmer said he believed Boris Johnson was lying when he claimed to have no knowledge that a party took place in Downing Street last December. Asked whether he believed the prime minister was a liar, Starmer said: “I think he’s dishonest, yes.”
The Labour leader rejected suggestions that he is not political enough to be effective in his role.
“I think it’s complete nonsense,” Starmer said. “When I took over as leader of the Labour Party, we were something like 25 points behind the Conservative government.
“To close the gap from minus 25 to being ahead of the government in under two years after the worst defeat in 2019, I think shows a bit of politics.”
Oh shit, Starmer finally open to an electoral pact?
The Tories are still too popular to take down in one election, it will take time to get them out and working together now will be more useful than waiting until the net election to decide to be pragmatic. The problem will be convincing the voters that this could pay off, with many voters only thinking about each election in isolation.
We need somebody like Jezza Corbyn to stand up and remind folk that when they voted Lib-Dem in 2010 then they got five years of Tory rule by proxy. Lib Dem votes are still the same. You get what you vote for.
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Pragmatism is what we need – and this pact needs to work vice versa too.
Sir Keir Starmer has suggested that his party will hold back in constituencies targeted by the Liberal Democrats to deny the Conservatives a majority at the next election.
The Labour leader said that while he would not enter any formal electoral pact, his “utter determination” to win power meant he was willing to be strategic about his party’s resources.
It comes as a YouGov poll for The Times suggests that support for the Conservatives is at its lowest point since the last general election, and Liberal Democrat support is at its highest.
Asked why he wouldn’t agree to an electoral pact with the Lib Dems, Starmer said: “I do think we should have a Labour candidate that people can vote for wherever they live, and depriving them of that is not the right thing to do. ”
But he added that he would focus his party on seats “in the places where we can win and we know we have to win”.
Speaking to Ayesha Hazarika in an interview to be broadcast on Times Radio today, Starmer indicated that Labour would hold back in seats where it did not have a realistic chance of defeating the Tories but the Lib Dems did.
He referred to recent by-elections where Tories were unseated by a Lib Dem, saying: “Chesham & Amersham, North Shropshire are not on my list of target seats. Am I pleased to see the Tories upended there? Yes, I am.”
The YouGov survey published today gives Labour a six-point lead over the Conservatives, up one point on last week. Of those polled, 30 per cent said they would vote Conservative, down two points on last week and the lowest proportion since September 2019.
Meanwhile, 12 per cent said they would back the Liberal Democrats, up two points on last week and their highest since 2019. Some 36 per cent said they would support Labour.
In the interview, Starmer said he believed Boris Johnson was lying when he claimed to have no knowledge that a party took place in Downing Street last December. Asked whether he believed the prime minister was a liar, Starmer said: “I think he’s dishonest, yes.”
The Labour leader rejected suggestions that he is not political enough to be effective in his role.
“I think it’s complete nonsense,” Starmer said. “When I took over as leader of the Labour Party, we were something like 25 points behind the Conservative government.
“To close the gap from minus 25 to being ahead of the government in under two years after the worst defeat in 2019, I think shows a bit of politics.”
Oh shit, Starmer finally open to an electoral pact?
The Tories are still too popular to take down in one election, it will take time to get them out and working together now will be more useful than waiting until the net election to decide to be pragmatic. The problem will be convincing the voters that this could pay off, with many voters only thinking about each election in isolation.
We need somebody like Jezza Corbyn to stand up and remind folk that when they voted Lib-Dem in 2010 then they got five years of Tory rule by proxy. Lib Dem votes are still the same. You get what you vote for.