Labour Supporters Are Canvassing For Lib Dems To Push Tactical Voting

On a sunny afternoon along a picturesque seafront in North Norfolk, Lib Dem supporters gathered to watch leader Ed Davey and the party’s local candidate don wetsuits and perform yet another election stunt. But as it turns out, many of these onlookers were not staunch Lib Dem supporters at all.

“It’s quite feverish around here, it’s going to be really close,” one supporter said, describing their excitement about the Lib Dem campaign as they waited for Davey to emerge from a beach hut and go for a brisk swim in the sea in Sheringham, Norfolk.

However, PoliticsHome soon discovered that many of those milling around the beach were campaigning for the party in the area despite not describing themselves as Lib Dems.

“I would describe myself as left-wing Labour,” local resident Christine told PoliticsHome. Christine, like most of the people gathered here, has been canvassing for the Lib Dems over the last few weeks.

She said people in North Norfolk needed to vote tactically to defeat the Conservatives, as “Labour won’t win here, they’re really in the background”. In 2019, the Conservatives’ Duncan Baker won with 29,792 votes – followed in second by the Lib Dems with 15,397, and then Labour in third with only 3,895.

Describing herself as “more anti-Tory than pro-Lib Dem”, Christine explained that she had begun canvassing for the first time during this election, initially for tactical reasons – although as the campaign has gone on, she has found herself less convinced by Labour anyway. 

“It definitely is tactical initially, but some of the stuff that we’ve seen on TV with Keir Starmer, I can’t say he would be my favourite,” she said.

“I think you need a certain level of charisma, and I don’t think Keir Starmer does.”

As a traditional