A Cabinet minister stated last night that Labour and the Liberal Democrats need to “come clean” about whether they have an electoral alliance.
Sajid Javid issued the challenge after the Government lost two by-elections as a result of “industrial scale” tactical voting.
After the Lib Dems swept Tiverton and Honiton and Labour retook Wakefield, senior Conservatives said that the opposition parties needed to be upfront with voters.
In the constituency they weren’t targeting, the two parties barely campaigned, and both did so poorly that they both forfeited their deposits there. Oliver Dowden, a co-chairman of the Conservative Party, announced his resignation early yesterday.
Keir Starmer and the Lib Dems, however, “must come straight to the public about any electoral deal,” according to Health Secretary Mr. Javid.
“A Starmer-led government supported by the Lib Dems and SNP will tear our Union apart and advance our economy at a time when we least can afford it,” said Starmer. We must work together and forward our agenda to serve the British people in order to prevent that from happening.
It is disappointing to see that the Lib Dems and Labour have formed an unethical electoral alliance, Attorney General Suella Braverman said the BBC.
She issued a warning by:
Cabinet members cautioned Boris Johnson to start delivering if he wants to lift the party out of its rut; His supporters and opponents prepared for a fight over changing the Tory party’s rules to allow a second vote of confidence in his leadership; Mr. Dowden used his resignation letter to claim that Conservative supporters were “distressed and disappointed” but pointedly failed to support the prime minister; Experts cautioned Sir Keir that Labour was not on track to win an outright election;
Last month, Mr. Dowden expressed concerns in The Mail on Sunday that Sir Keir was withdrawing from races in regions with significant Lib Dem support to prevent splitting the anti-Tory vote.
He claimed that where Labour was in power, Sir Ed Davey’s party had reciprocated. Both Labour and the Lib Dems rejected the allegations.
‘It’s evident that Labour and the Liberal Democrats have joined into a covert and dishonest electoral alliance, aiming to help each other with tactical voting instead of running on their own records,’ said Luke Hall, a deputy chairman of the Conservative Party.
This creates the possibility of a destructive coalition of disarray, with the SNP and Lib Dems supporting a weak Keir Starmer.
They ought to be transparent about their shady backroom dealings.
The outcomes in Tiverton and Wakefield, according to Matt Singh of the Number Cruncher firm, were the product of “industrial-scale tactical voting.”
A day of Conservative accusations followed the results, which were also attributed to people remaining at home.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak claimed he will remain after a morning phone discussion with the PM, tweeting, “We all take responsibility for the results and I’m determined to continue working to tackle the expense of living.”
However, observers noted that Mr. Johnson was not mentioned in his statement.
While attending a Commonwealth summit in Rwanda, the prime minister pledged to keep going, saying, “No doubt, people will continue to beat me up, say this or that, and attack me.”
That’s fine, that’s just right, and that’s what politicians do.
Finally, neither journalists nor voters have anybody else to complain to. I must accept that. However, I also need to get to work on fulfilling my election promise to the people of this nation.
However, when asked if he had thought about quitting at any point yesterday, Mr. Johnson sidestepped the query.
Lord Frost, a former Brexit minister, and deputy prime minister Dominic Raab urged Mr. Johnson to work harder to produce solutions that will address the rising cost of living crisis.
We cannot conduct business as usual, Mr. Dowden wrote in his letter of resignation. Someone has to bear the blame, and I have come to the conclusion that it would not be appropriate for me to continue serving in this capacity.
According to a Cabinet source, no more significant resignations are anticipated. My gut tells me the Cabinet is pleased with the outcome, the person said.
“The focus ought to be on making sure we go forward with our plan, not on the leader,”
The Lib Dems gained the seat despite finishing third in 2019, raising suspicions of tactical voting in Tiverton and Honiton.
In the general election, they received 14.8% of the vote; on Thursday, they received 52.9%.
In the meantime, Labour’s support fell from 19.5% of the vote to just 3.7%, demonstrating that voters were switching parties strategically.
Labour’s vote percentage increased in Wakefield from 39.8% in 2019 to 47.9% on Thursday. On the other hand, the vote for the Liberal Democrats fell from 3.9% to 1.8%.
The majority ‘could not have been overturned without tactical voting and an unofficial electoral partnership,’ according to Naomi Smith, chief executive of the anti-Brexit Best for Britain campaign organization, which is pushing for an electoral pact between the two parties.
She added: “Labour and the Lib Dems mustn’t rest on their laurels, duplicating this success will be considerably more difficult in a general election.” She urged Sir Keir and Sir Ed to formalize their alliance.
They will need to work together to overthrow the government, according to our survey.
Lisa Nandy, a prominent member of the Labour Party, refuted any agreement, saying, “We didn’t have an electoral pact in this election, and we wouldn’t.” Voting is done with one’s feet.
The Liberal Democrats are fighting in regions where we think we can win, Sir Ed continued. “I’m being honest, there is no pact, there is no contract.”