Will former Labour MPs help the Tories break the red wall? A key plank of the Tory path to a majority consists of winning seats in the Midlands and the North which have been Labour for generations. Many of these areas voted to leave in the EU referendum. The Tory hope is that a well-executed campaign in which they reinforce their Brexit message with increased public spending promises for domestic policies will lead to them winning Labour Leave voters over. However, as crucial to the strategy is how the vote splits between the various candidates standing in each constituency.
Ian Austin – the independent MP for the key Tory target seat of Dudley North – has announced today that he will not seek re-election. Instead, the former Labour MP and long time Corbyn critic said that he thought patriotic Labour voters should vote for the Tories.
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