Lib Dems target ‘Ukipper’ Hoey

A PRO-BREXIT Labour MP in a pro-Remain seat is being targeted by the Lib Dems who have called on Remoaners to unseat her.

Eurosceptic Kate Hoey has a 12,000 majority in Vauxhall, London, but could be vulnerable as her constituency returned one of the biggest votes to stay in Europe. The Lib Dems yesterday began their campaign to unseat the Labour veteran by stoking an anti-Brexit rebellion, saying ‘the country needs change’.

Party leader Tim Farron branded her ‘Ukip’s candidate’ after its leader Paul Nuttall indicated it would not contest the Labour safe seat. The Lib Dems finished a distant fourth in Vauxhall in 2015, behind the Tories and Greens.

But Mr Farron said: ‘The last 12 months have proved pretty much anything can happen in politics.’

Campaigning in the constituency yesterday with candidate George Turner, Mr Farron described Labour under Jeremy Corbyn as ‘the worst opposition in human history’. ‘Let’s not pretend for one moment that we take seriously Theresa May’s claims that the reason she called this elec- tion was in order to get a mandate for Brexit,’ he said. ‘She needs no mandate for Brexit. The referendum gave her the mandate to start the negotiations and the Labour Party gave her the numbers she needed in the House of Commons.

‘She has called this election because she looked across the despatch box and saw the worst opposition in human history and could not resist the temptation of trying to do the political equivalent of stealing candy from a baby.’

Miss Hoey has held the safe seat for almost 30 years by one of the party’s biggest majorities. She said she looked forward to a ‘positive’ campaign.