Keir Starmer would be wise to avoid a Lib Dem alliance

The myth that is developing goes like this: Labour can’t win enough seats to form a majority government at the next election, however much the Tories may tank. They will need the SNP and almost certainly the Liberal Democrats to rule. Therefore, Labour needs to stand down in English seats where the Lib Dems have a clear shot at the Conservative party.

There are several problems with this myth, but one that isn’t being talked about: the price the Lib Dems would extract for bringing a Labour minority to power would be steep, and not worth it from a Labour perspective. If Labour leader Keir Starmer is wise, this must inform Labour’s strategy in Lib-Con seats at the next election.

Both contenders for the Lib Dem leadership have hinted that a precondition for supporting a Labour government after the next election would be scrapping first past the post as the voting system for Westminster elections, replacing it with proportional representation.