We’ll drive you out of power, say Lib Dems
Whitehall Correspondent THE Conservatives face a General Election drubbing if Labour and the Lib Dems can repeat their ‘pincer movement’ against vulnerable Tories across the country.
This week’s dual by-election defeat saw Labour overturn a Tory majority in the northern Red Wall seat of Wakefield with a 12% swing.
Meanwhile, the Lib Dems used Mr Johnson’s unpopularity in the south to turn Tiverton and Honiton yellow for the first time in almost a century with a 29% swing.
As the PM faces a “war on two fronts”, the Sunday Mirror has identified the top 30 target seats for both opposition parties, where they are in second place and slim Tory majorities make them vulnerable.
All of them could be taken with a swing of 12% or less.
Thursday’s double drubbing follows December’s historic by-election victory for Sir Ed Davey’s party in North Shropshire, where the Lib Dems defied all expectations to win the seat with a swing of 34%.
Sir Ed told the Sunday Mirror: “Over the last year, the Conservatives have not just been beaten but trounced across their former heartlands.
“From Buckinghamshire to Devon and Shropshire to Somerset, people wanting to send this Conservative Government a message have swung behind the Liberal Democrats.
“After these political shockwaves, those Conservative MPs in marginal seats who are not looking nervously over their shoulders are in complete denial.” Shabana Mahmood, Labour’s national campaign coordinator, said: “This week’s by-election results have been 12 years in the making. The Tories have broken the economy and ground Britain to a halt with their failures.
“The voters have seen through the lies and their attempts to sow division and avoid responsibility.
“The message this week was clear: the Conservatives must go.
“Tory MPs may have turned a blind eye to Boris Johnson’s law-breaking and failure but the voters have not. They’re saying enough is enough.”
After bringing together traditional Tories in the south and disgruntled Labour voters in the Red Wall to win in 2019, the PM is now learning it’s “very tricky” to keep both on side.
Among the top Tories in danger are Deputy PM Dominic Raab, former welfare chief Iain Duncan Smith and Richard Holden, who was behind the push for Durham police to probe Labour leader Keir Starmer over the so-called ‘Beergate’ affair.
Boris Johnson’s own seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip sits just outside Labour’s top 30, but would need less than an 8% swing to topple him.
Sir Ed added: “We have sent a clear message to Conservative MPs insisting on propping up Boris Johnson: Ignore the threat posed by the Liberal Democrats at your peril.
“If you fail to get rid of this law-breaking Prime Minister, we will come after you, seat by seat.
“We will assemble an army of activists. We will offer the change people want and the change our country needs. We will drive you out of power.”