Campaigners for a second referendum have released a list of 25 recommended candidates in key marginal constituencies aimed at preventing the majority Boris Johnson needs for a free rein with a hard Brexit.
A new organisation, Vote for a Final Say (VOFS), will be working with young activists from For our Future’s Sake to support Labour, Liberal Democrat and SNP candidates in the constituencies that look set to determine the general election.
Each of the 25 the seats are currently balanced on a knife-edge. But VOFS say that many parts of the electorate are still confused, or are being misled, about which candidate is best-placed to beat the Conservatives.
The 25 constituencies have been selected after analysis of recent polling and election results.
But many of them already appear on the ‘PV 100’ – the list of 100 seats backed by the People’s Vote campaign.
n’
The list below hghlights where the campaigns agree, but neither campaign lists different candidates for the same seats.
VOFS’ analysis includes an unpublished poll of tens of thousands of people, conducted using the multi-level regression and stratification (MRP) method that successfully predicted the 2017 hung parliament.
The group says that this revealed large numbers of Remain supporters at risk of wasting their vote on third-placed candidates, ensuring that a hard-Brexit Conservative is elected in these key seats.
VOFS also plans to mount a campaign aimed at key sections of the electorate who traditionally have low participation rates in elections.
James McGrory, the former director of the People’s Vote campaign and a senior adviser to VOFS, said: “Time is running out to stop Boris Johnson getting a landslide.
“There have been too many arguments about who has the best tactical voting website or polling data and not enough action.
“We can all agree that these 25 seats are critical if we’re to prevent Brextremist Tories securing total power.
“Now is the time for everyone to roll their sleeves up and start fighting back.”
Amanda Chetwynd-Cowieson, the co-founder of For our Future’s Sake, said: “These 25 seats could decide whether Boris Johnson gets the majority he needs to do whatever he wants of us having the chance to stop him through a Final Say referendum.
“Young people are traditionally the group of voters least likely take part in elections but we also have the most to lose. In constituencies where just a few hundred people could make all the difference, it is vital we make our voices heard.”
The complete list of 25 constituencies is as follows. Where a seat is in bold, it does not appear on the PV100 list, and all other seats match the PV100 recommendation.
Birmingham Northfield, Richard Burden (Lab)
Bristol North West, Darren Jones (Lab)
Bury North, James Frith (Lab)
Cambridgeshire South, Ian Sollom (LD)
Canterbury, Rosie Duffield (Lab)
Cardiff North, Anna McMorrin (Lab)
Cheadle, Tom Morrison (LD)
Cheltenham, Max Wilkinson (LD)
Croydon Central, Sarah Jones (Lab)
Eltham, Clive Efford (Lab)
Enfield Southgate, Bambos Charalambous (Lab)
Finchley & Golders Green, Luciana Berger (LD)
Gower, Tonia Antoniazzi (Lab)
Ochil & South Perthshire, John Nicolson (SNP)
Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan
Reading East, Matt Rodda (Lab)
Sedgefield, Phil Wilson (Lab)
St Albans, Daisy Cooper (LD)
Wakefield, Mary Creagh (Lab)
Warrington South, Faisal Rashid (Lab)
Warwick & Leamington, Matt Western (Lab)
Weaver Vale, Mike Amesbury (Lab)
Wimbledon, Paul Kohler (LD)
Winchester, Paula Ferguson (LD)
Wirral West, Margaret Greenwood (Lab)