Last night, Labour and the Liberal Democrats were accused of a “squalid pact” to deny their voters a choice in order to humiliate Boris Johnson in a by-election.
Sir Keir Starmer and Sir Ed Davey were accused of covertly agreeing to give each other a free run in two by-elections that might determine the Prime Minister’s fate.
The Lib Dems have been accused by the Conservatives of running a token campaign in Wakefield to allow Labour to reclaim the ‘Red Wall’ West Yorkshire seat lost to Mr Johnson’s party in 2019.
They further say that Labour is repaying the favor by virtually stepping aside in Tiverton and Honiton, allowing the Lib Dems to overturn a large Tory majority in the Devon seat.
‘It’s fairly evident that Labour and the Lib Dems have done a dirty deal behind the voters’ backs,’ Tory MP Richard Holden said last night. They’re simply not being truthful to the electorate.’
Both Opposition parties are running candidates in the two seats and have rejected any agreement, with the Lib Dems announcing that deputy leader Daisy Cooper will campaign in Wakefield tomorrow. Sir Ed had not yet attended the campaign trial, according to a Lib Dem source, and had no plans to do so.
The campaign for the June 23 by-elections is nearing a crescendo after Mr Johnson survived a no-confidence vote last week, despite the fact that 148 Tory MPs – or 41% of the parliamentary party – voted against him.
Despite his survival, rebels claim that setbacks in the two impending by-elections will increase the pressure on the PM, particularly if the Tories lose decisively.
Conservative suspicions of a Labour/Lib Dem alliance come after Tory party chairman Oliver Dowden claimed that during the local elections campaign in May, Sir Keir did not run candidates in areas where the Lib Dems were dominant, while Sir Ed did so in Labour-dominated regions.
Tory rage has been concentrated on accusations that Labour is softening its stance in Tiverton and Honiton, despite coming second and the Lib Dems third there in 2019.
The Lib Dems, on the other hand, have a long history in the South West and are seen as’more acceptable’ by Tory voters who wish to express a protest vote in a by-election.
Lib Dem insiders downplayed expectations of a historic triumph yesterday, not least since the Conservatives are defending a 24,239 majority held by former MP Neil Parish, who resigned last month after admitting to watching pornography on his phone in the Commons.
However, roughly six months ago, the Lib Dems in Shropshire North defeated a Tory majority of about 23,000 voters.
Insiders in Wakefield admit that with a considerably smaller 3,358 margin over Labour, the Conservatives will struggle to hold the seat, which is one of a slew of so-called Red Wall seats in the North and Midlands that went to Mr Johnson’s party in the 2019 election.
The Wakefield by-election was triggered by the resignation of the Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan, who was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.
Last week, one opinion poll predicted a landslide Labour victory, with the party 20 points ahead of the Conservatives.
Conservative spirits were bolstered yesterday night by an Opinium poll that showed Labour’s national lead had shrunk from three to two points in the last fortnight.
Ms Cooper claimed last night that ‘there is no deal,’ dismissing Tory assertions as ‘another desperate attempt to shift attention away from Boris Johnson’s lies and law-breaking.’
‘There are no arrangements, no pacts,’ a spokeswoman for Sir Keir said, adding, ‘We have a strong candidate in Tiverton and Honiton, and we’re fighting hard for every vote.’