November General Election Rundown
Label Volunteer, Maciek Anielski, gives us the latest details in the months leading up to the general election.
- The Brexit Party stands down in Conservative held constituencies.
- Parties pledge more money for the NHS.
- Labour calls for nationalisation of broadband.
- Lib Dems accused of misleading voters.
The General Election is well underway, and it seems as though the prospect of a Boris Johnson led government is stimulating support for the Conservatives, with a massive jump seen at the time of his take-over.
The Conservatives currently boast an 11-point lead in national polls, propped up by Nigel Farage’s decision to stand down Brexit Party candidates in Conservative held constituencies.
This move will be met with a sigh of relief for Tory candidates whose vote will no longer be split on the basis of Johnson’s Brexit policy.
Farage has defended his move, citing Boris Johnson’s promise of a Canada-style deal as evidence of the party’s aligning views but maintaining that Brexit Party candidates will stand for all other seats. A decision he sees as critical in avoiding a Labour government, and consequently a second referendum on Brexit.
The Brexit party is hoping to siphon off traditional, working class Labour voters with the promise of a hard Brexit which could make it more difficult for Labour, especially in the North to maintain support.
Brexit policy may be dividing parties, but the under-funding of the NHS seems to have been addressed by both parties.
Labour is pledging to increase the NHS budget by £26bn by 2023-24 while the Conservatives have promised an increase of £20.5bn.
Labour’s plans for the country don’t end there, however.
The party has announced plans for the nationalisation of BT Openreach, a component of British Telecom, focused on fibre optic broadband. Labour believes that increasing Britain’s fibre optic coverage will lead to greater productivity and investment by businesses and are pledging tax funded coverage for all UK households and businesses.
Boris Johnson hit back at the plan, calling it a ‘crazed communist scheme’, however voters seem less opposed with 62% claiming to support free broadband internet and 32% supporting nationalisation compared to 31% opposing.
One party which seems to be struggling with voters are the Liberal Democrats. Polling at 14 points below Labour, the party has been accused of misleading voters through leaflets and posts.
One particular post paints the picture of a two-horse race between the Conservative Party and the Lib Dems in the area, however the small print reveals that voters were asked an allegedly leaning question when the survey was conducted:
“Imagine that the result in your constituency was expected to be very close between the Conservative and Liberal Democrat candidate and none of the other parties were competitive. In this scenario, which party would you vote for?”
In fact, the Conservatives won about 54% of the vote in the constituency in 2017, while Labour won about 35% and the Lib Dems came in a not very close third with about 8%, a result which seems diametrically opposed to the graphic published by the Lib Dems.
As campaigns continue, it will be interesting to see how voter perception changes over time. Will the Lib Dem’s potentially misleading strategy pay off? Will the Conservatives really benefit from the Brexit Party’s withdrawal? Will Labour manage to narrow that 11-point lead?
Only one thing is clear. All this will be decided by you, the voters.
To ensure that your voice is heard, register to vote before the 26th November.
Every vote matters.
