Please Corbyn and Swinson, don’t give Boris Johnson an early Christmas gift

With just hours until the vote, the Labour and Liberal Democrat leaders must ask their candidates with no chance of winning to get behind those who can beat the prime minister’s lackeys

Dear Jeremy Corbyn and Jo Swinson,

I’m writing to you about the joint early Christmas present you’re planning to give to Boris Johnson – a Tory majority and a clear five years to reign. Very thoughtful of you both. It’s what he always wanted

It’s a tragedy for our nation that no one was able to knock your heads together and get you to reach an agreement about standing down your candidates in key constituencies where they had no chance. Where all they would do is divide the anti-Johnson vote and let into the Commons yet another of his stooge candidates – all signed up to his deal, even though they don’t know yet what it will be. Or how catastrophic for us all.

In constituencies such as Esher, voters are incandescent at Corbyn’s pig-headed decision to stand a candidate with absolutely no chance of winning – but every chance of taking just enough votes off the Lib Dems’ Monica Harding to gift the constituency to Dominic Raab.

Seats where tactical voting can stop Boris Johnson

Labour to step down in these seats
Liberal Democrats to step down in these seats

Carshalton and Wallington Workington Westmorland and Lonsdale Keighley Norfolk North Bridgend Cheltenham Warrington South Eastbourne Chingford and Woodford Green St Albans Alyn and Deeside Esher and Walton  

It’s the same in Canterbury, where a decent Liberal Democrat candidate withdrew because he could see that his standing was serving only to let in a hard-right Brexiteer and make the principled, hard-working pro-Remain local Labour MP Rosie Duffield redundant. And what was Swinson’s response? To parachute in another candidate against the wishes of the majority of her sensible and pragmatic local association.

Corbyn and Swinson, it is time for you both to behave like leaders and represent your memberships, as well as put the best interests of our country first. Neither of your parties stand for chaos, division or damaging people’s lives, but that is what you are about to do by playing by the old rules of politics and foisting upon our nation the most immoral and irresponsible right-wing government in living memory.

There is more that unites Lib Dem and Labour candidates in so many constituencies. Add together their votes, and, time after time, there are clear majorities to beat the Tory Brexiteers. Yet you are denying these voters victory by your stubborn intransigence, narrow-mindedness and the pretence that you can win a majority government yourselves. Why can’t you understand that there is a vast swathe of the population that loves it when, just for once, you don’t actually behave like politicians and do what is right?

The irony is a lot of your candidates got into politics in recent years specifically to fight against the damage that will be caused by a hard or no-deal Brexit. It is nothing short of obscene that you two, as their so-called leaders, are now putting them into a position where they are helping to facilitate it.

With just hours to election day, I beg you to ask your candidates, where they have no chance of winning, to get behind the candidates who can beat Johnson’s lackeys. I know it’s too late now to take their names off the ballot papers, but not too late for candidates to make announcements, to tell their traditional supporters to back the opponent with the best chance of defeating the Tories. It is not too late, either, for individual candidates to do what their consciences tell them to do. All candidates are political animals, but they are not dumb animals. They can and must think for themselves.

Only together can we now stop a Johnson majority. If we fail to do so – if we allow our country to be seized by Johnson to use as a laboratory to test out the most extreme ideology ever devised in modern times – then I warn you, much of the blame will be laid at your doors. Mark my words, as the reality of what a Johnson majority means in practical terms becomes clear, even your most devoted supporters will be in no mood to either forgive nor forget.

All the best,

Gina

Gina Miller’s tactical voting website is at www.remainunited.org