Poll reveals Labour voters could back ‘no candidate’ idea
APOLL of Labour voters across Britain has shown that many are open to the idea of the party standing down candidates in seats where they have little chance of winning – if that would help defeat the Conservatives.
Many Welsh Labour politicians, however, are reluctant to endorse the idea.
The poll, commissioned from YouGov by the centre left campaign group Compass, showed that 36% thought Labour shouldn’t field candidates in such circumstances, 34% thought it should, while the remaining 30% didn’t know.
Neal Lawson, the executive director of Compass, said: “At one level it’s surprising there was a narrow majority given how alien the concept might be. It’s something to work on.”
A statement on Compass’s website says: “As it stands Labour contests every seat in the country. In the vast majority of places this makes sense, but in a small number of seats it doesn’t.
“These are the seats in which Labour cannot win but the Tories can lose.
“In 2019, there were more than 60 tragedies where the votes of broadly speaking progressive parties won the majority of votes but lost the seat.
“By always standing everywhere Labour splits the anti-Tory vote and denies scarce resources being deployed nearby where Labour can win.
“Only Stand to Win is a campaign for a small Labour Party rule change to allow local parties to
decide whether to stand a candidate or not.
“By having the local power to decide whether to stand a candidate or not, Labour parties can, where it is sensible, maximise the anti-Tory vote where Labour can’t win and maximise the vote where Labour can.”
Blaenau Gwent MS Alun Davies is an enthusiastic supporter of the idea. He said: “Labour needs to take a fundamental decision – whether it wants to take power away from the Conservatives at a UK level, or whether it wants to stay in opposition indefinitely, making faces across the House of Commons at the Tories on the benches opposite.
“We can all make speeches – I’ve made hundreds over the years – attacking the actions of the Tory government, and we can all pass resolutions at conferences.
“But none of that helps our constituents pay the gas and electricity bills they are facing.
“We need to get the Tories out of government in Westminster and that will entail working with other parties whether we want to or not.
“Standing down in seats where Labour has no realistic chance of winning, and perhaps helping a Liberal Democrat to defeat the Tories makes sense.
“Of course, a new progressive government could legislate for a fairer and more proportionate electoral system, making standing down unnecessary.”
But other Welsh Labour figures were more dubious.
Former Secretary of State for Wales Lord Peter Hain said: “I don’t agree with Labour standing down in some seats. I do however think it makes sense to spend the party’s limited resources in seats that are winnable.
“Last year we saw how Labour concentrated its by-election efforts on retaining Batley & Spen rather than spending a lot in Chesham & Amersham, where the Liberal Democrats had a better chance of winning.
“The Tories lost in both seats. “I also know a lot of Labour Party members who live in marginal seats where Labour doesn’t have a chance of winning and who vote for another party which has a better chance of beating the Tories. But I think we should stand candidates in all seats so that those who are committed to voting Labour have the opportunity to do so.”
Caerphilly MS Hefin David said: “This idea may sound good in theory, but it doesn’t necessarily work in practice...
“I’m in favour of a fairer electoral system, though, but that has to be legislated for.”
Speaking personally, Darren Williams, co-founder of the left wing Welsh Labour Grassroots group, said: “I understand the argument, but I wouldn’t be in favour of Labour standing candidates down. I think voters always have to have the choice to back a Labour candidate, although I understand why some supporters will vote for another party in the hope that the Tories will be beaten.”