General election: Lib Dem leadership vows to stand against Remainer MPs despite party revolt

The party says it will stand against ex-Tory David Gauke, pick another candidate in Canterbury, and still contest High Peak after candidate raises concerns

Jo Swinson speaks outside the Senedd, also known as the National Assembly building, in Cardiff. (PA)

The Liberal Democrat leadership has vowed to stand candidates against Remainer MPs in several tightly contested constituencies, despite a growing backlash from its own members.

A spokesperson for the party told The Independent on Wednesday morning that it would definitely be fielding candidates against ex-Tory David Gauke, who is standing as an independent in South West Hertfordshire.

The spokesperson also confirmed the party would be picking a new candidate to challenge Labour MP Rosie Duffield in Canterbury, despite the resignation of its first candidate Tim Walker who said he would be voting for the Remainer Ms Duffield to keep the seat out of Tory hands.

At the same time, the party also confirmed that it would press ahead with standing in High Peak, a highly marginal Labour-Tory constituency where the liberals are facing a candidate revolt.

On Wednesday morning Guy Kiddey, the Lib Dem candidate in the bellwether Derbyshire constituency, raised the stakes by warning that he too might resign and vote Labour if the party did not change its approach to the situation.

He warned that Lib Dem candidates standing in marginal seats across the country were torn and worried about handing constituencies to the Conservatives, and that they respected Mr Walker’s decision in Canterbury.

“I know that, if I campaign hard in High Peak, I will split the vote and the Tory will win,” Mr Kiddey said. “Though I could probably achieve the party’s best-ever result up here, perhaps increasing the Lib Dem vote share fivefold compared to 2017, a mere happy statistic is a definite second to keeping a Tory party that threatens to be worse than Margaret Thatcher’s out of office.”

The nightmare that kept me awake was standing awkwardly at the count beside a vanquished Duffield as the Tory Brexiter raised her hands in triumph. I wanted no part in that

Tim Walker, former Lib Dem candidate for Canterbury

He also criticised the party’s treatment of the Canterbury candidate who stood down, and warned: “Unless the party retracts its implicit threat to candidates, drops its intended disciplinary proceedings against Mr Walker and apologises unreservedly, [then] I too will stand down and resign my membership and I will vote Labour”.

The former Canterbury candidate Mr Walker said on Tuesday that there was a danger he would divide Remainers if he stood, adding: “The nightmare that kept me awake was standing awkwardly at the count beside a vanquished Duffield as the Tory Brexiter raised her hands in triumph. I wanted no part in that.”

The party’s decision to stand against former Tory minister Mr Gauke came after he told voters on Wednesday that they should vote Lib Dem. “Traditional Conservative voters like me should lend their support to the Liberal Democrats but I think I am best placed to run as an independent,” he told the BBC.

A Liberal Democrat spokesperson said: “The Labour Party have failed to oppose Brexit. The Liberal Democrats will not be standing down for any party that is pursuing Brexit. We will be fielding a candidate in High Peak, giving voters the opportunity to stop Brexit and build a brighter future.”

They added: “We will be announcing a candidate in due course to contest the seat of Canterbury.”

The spokesperson also confirmed the Lib Dems would be running a candidate against Mr Gauke in South West Hertfordshire.

The People’s Vote campaign has also unveiled a new tactical voting tool in which it recommends candidates in 100 “priority” constituencies “best placed to secure a final say on Brexit after the election”. In Canterbury the campaign group recommends sitting Labour MP Rosie Duffield.

Earlier this month the Lib Dems announced a pact with the Greens and Plaid Cymru to not stand against each other in 60 seats across England and Wales, which they dubbed “United to Remain”. The pact was criticised by Labour supporters for targeting some seats held by Remain-supporting Labour MPs, including some marginal Labour-Conservative seats.