It is no coincidence that Theresa May chose to hit the campaign trail in Wolverhampton and Dudley last weekend; both are areas where Ukip did especially well in 2015. What is emerging is that the West Midlands – particularly the Labour-held Midlands marginals – will be the key battleground in this coming election. From the creation of the Mercian kingdom by Alfred the Great, to the Battle of Bosworth and Germany’s bombing of Coventry in 1940 – not to mention the 2015 election which led to Brexit – the Midlands has provided the backdrop against which the future of our country has been shaped. The election on 8 June will be no exception.
Several polls now put the Conservatives on target to win between 45 and 50 per cent of the national vote, while Labour looks likely to lose at least two seats in Birmingham and as many as seven in the West Midlands. For Labour, it could be a political bloodbath; for Tory candidates in the Midlands, it’s the best opportunity they’ve had to sweep up seats since Thatcher’s 1987 landslide, when she won 42 per cent of the popular vote.
If the polls are correct, Labour would lose Birmingham Edgbaston, and Birmingham Northfield.
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