Lib Dems WON'T stand against ex-minister Dominic Grieve in election

Remainer alliance gears up for election: Lib Dems WON’T run against ex-Cabinet minister Dominic Grieve as he fights to hold his seat against Tories

• Mr Grieve masterminded several backbench revolts against the Government, 
• He confirmed he will run again in Beaconsfield, which voted Remain in 2016
•  Liberal Democrats are giving him a clear run against the new Tory candidate 

The Remainer alliance is gearing up for the election battle today – with former Cabinet minister Dominic Grieve set to be a beneficiary.

The Liberal Democrats have confirmed they are not running a candidate against Mr Grieve, who is standing as an independent in Beaconsfield after being expelled by the Tories for rebelling on Brexit.

The move will significantly increase his chances of success, although he still has a mountain to climb in what has long been a solid Conservative seat. 

Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson has hinted the local pact could be the first of many in the snap poll slated for December 12. 

Research has suggested the Tories will achieve a majority of 44 if no strategic voting takes place.

But a study by the Best for Britain campaign found if 30 per cent of Remain backers voted tactically they could swing the election and secure a Remainer majority of four.  

Dominic Grieve, a former attorney general and mastermind of several backbench revolts against the Government, is being given a clear run by Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson (right) in his Beaconsfield seat

Ms Sandbach (left) said she would also go head-to-head with a Tory in Eddisbury, Cheshire.

Antoinette Sandbach, another of the 21 Conservatives stripped of the whip in September after voting to block a No Deal, is also campaigning as an independent in her seat of Eddisbury.

Ms Sandbach and Mr Grieve were not among 10 of the 21 rebels who were readmitted to the Tory ranks earlier this week, because their actions were seen as beyond the pale. 

Mr Grieve said he assumes the Tories will put a candidate up against him in his constituency of Beaconsfield.

He told the BBC’s Today programme yesterday: ‘I will run as an independent. I’ve made that decision. I have no idea what the outcome will be. 

‘Logically, I probably ought to lose. It’s a very safe Conservative seat.

‘And if normal loyalties prevail then a Conservative candidate will be elected against me.

‘But I think my constituents are entitled to a choice.’

The Lib Dem candidate, teacher and musician Rob Castell, agreed to drop out to avoid taking Remain votes away from Mr Grieve in a seat that voted 51-49 to stay in the EU in 2016.

Mr Grieve took the seat in 2017 for the Tories with a majority of 24,543 from Labour in second.

Remainers warn Tories will win 44 majority without tactical voting 

The Tories will achieve a majority of 44 if no strategic voting took place – but anti-Brexit voters could scupper this by working together.

A study by the Best for Britain campaign found if 30 per cent of Remain backers voted in this way they could swing the election and secure a Remain majority of four to deliver a Labour-backed second referendum.

If 40 per cent of pro-Remain voters worked tactically they could return a majority of 36 and a leadership strongly reflecting their Brexit views, according to the research from the group campaigning to stay in the EU.

The research was based on seat-by-seat analysis of 46,000 people over September and October, using a similar technique to one that gave a rare but accurate prediction that Donald Trump would become US president in 2016.

Backed by Lib Dem MP Sir Vince Cable, exiled Tory Dominic Grieve and Labour’s Anna McMorrin, the campaign is encouraging voters to visit getvoting.org to learn how to vote tactically.

Tactical voting could worry Mr Johnson closer to home. He won his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat in 2017 with 50 per cent of votes against Labour’s 40 per cent. 

Ms Sandbach blasted the ‘toxic’ atmosphere in politics a fortnight ago as she revealed she received a death threat after being deselected as a candidate by her local party.

She told how she received an email saying that Remain-backing MPs should ‘keep looking over your shoulders because Boom Bang you are all dead’.

The message, which she posted on Twitter, came after she lost a vote of confidence among members of her local Conservative Party association.

It effectively barred her from standing for them at the next general election, even if she has the whip restored first.

But she told the BBC yesterday she was not joining the ranks of those MPs standing down at the election.

She said: ‘I will be standing in Eddisbury. I’ve got a very strong local record.

‘I have secured £95million of investment locally into Eddisbury, not from Government but from private investors and I think my constituents will see that I have always stood up and spoken for what I believe to be in our best interests.

The study for Best for Britain campaign found if 40 per cent of pro-Remain voters worked tactically they could return a majority of 36 and a leadership strongly reflecting their Brexit views.

The research was based on seat-by-seat analysis of 46,000 people over September and October, using a similar technique to one that gave a rare but accurate prediction that Donald Trump would become US president in 2016.

Backed by Lib Dem MP Sir Vince Cable, exiled Tory Dominic Grieve and Labour’s Anna McMorrin, the campaign is encouraging voters to visit getvoting.org to learn how to vote tactically.

Tactical voting could worry Mr Johnson closer to home. He won his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat in 2017 with 50 per cent of votes against Labour’s 40 per cent. 

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