{"id":30420,"date":"2019-10-23T20:16:51","date_gmt":"2019-10-23T19:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=30420"},"modified":"2019-10-23T20:16:51","modified_gmt":"2019-10-23T19:16:51","slug":"liberal-democrats-ready-to-turn-london-yellow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/liberal-democrats-ready-to-turn-london-yellow\/","title":{"rendered":"Liberal Democrats ready to turn London yellow"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>The Lib Dems are confident they will make big gains in the capital at the next general election &#8211; likely to be held before the end of the year\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As a general election looms closer than ever, the Lib Dems will concentrate on seats in Greater London.<\/p>\n<p>And they will focus on younger voters.<\/p>\n<p>This is because the region is overwhelmingly pro-Remain.<\/p>\n<p>In May the party topped the polls in London during the European parliament elections.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">After lot of work by a lot of dedicated people we have won three seats in London! &#8211; many thanks to all the Londoners who voted to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/stopBrexit?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#stopBrexit<\/a> and voted <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LibDems?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LibDems<\/a> \ud83d\ude03 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8S2XQ9m3dp\">pic.twitter.com\/8S2XQ9m3dp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Rabina Khan (@RabinaKhan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RabinaKhan\/status\/1132788622082682881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 26, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>There they won three seats with more than 27% of the vote.<\/p>\n<p>Greater London was the constituency where the Lib Dems performed best.<\/p>\n<p>London Lib Dems ran on a pro-Remain ticket, being the only party whose official policy is\u00a0to stop Brexit.<\/p>\n<p>During the 2016 referendum on the UK&#8217;s EU membership, 27 London boroughs voted to remain.<\/p>\n<p>The Lib Dems believe this puts them in a strong position to make substantial gains when Boris Johnson goes to the country.<\/p>\n<p>And their share of the popular vote at the EU elections leads them to believe they are the most popular party in the capital.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We know that London is a Remain city\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa<br \/>We know that London is a liberal city\ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f<br \/>And since May London is also a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LibDems?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LibDems<\/a> city\ud83d\udd36<\/p>\n<p>We are now the popular &amp; credible choice for Londoners.<\/p>\n<p>Join the campaign to elect @SiobhanBenita as the next Mayor of London at <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BBGo9FMHxy\">https:\/\/t.co\/BBGo9FMHxy<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qYLScaryIQ\">pic.twitter.com\/qYLScaryIQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; London Liberal Democrats (@LondonLibDems) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LondonLibDems\/status\/1177886869863960576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 28, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Labour has been perceived as holding a nuanced approach to Brexit.<\/p>\n<p>This has resulted in swathes of voters turning away from Labour to the party, according to opinion polls.<\/p>\n<p>When she was elected as party leader in July, Jo Swinson said:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There are plenty of people in the Labour party I can work with &#8211; who I\u00a0<em>do<\/em> work with.<\/p>\n<p>But Jeremy Corbyn is a Brexiteer. He cannot be trusted on Brexit.<\/p>\n<p>That is absolutely clear.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>She has categorically ruled out any future electoral pact with Labour led by Mr Corbyn.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/timesredbox\/status\/1178943702523400192<\/p>\n<p>This means in the event of a hung parliament she would not work with the Labour party.<\/p>\n<p>When Boris Johnson prorogued parliament at the end of August, opposition members of parliament considered who they could rally around as a possible &#8220;caretaker&#8221; premier.<\/p>\n<p>The Lib Dem leader said she would back Ken Clarke MP &#8211; Father of the House of Commons.<\/p>\n<p>One-time Attorney General and Conservative backbencher Dominic Grieve echoed her comments.<\/p>\n<p>Like those in the Labour party, remainers within the Tory party have become agitated with their leader.<\/p>\n<p>This year six dismayed Labour and Tory MPs defected to the Lib Dems.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The moment Boris Johnson loses his majority as @DrPhillipLeeMP joins the Liberal Democrats.<br \/>We&#39;re standing up to the Johnson government and their disastrous Brexit. Back the biggest party of Remain &#8211; join the Liberal Democrats \u2b07\ufe0f<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uhtmkgT1D2\">https:\/\/t.co\/uhtmkgT1D2<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IRSgh43oMW\">pic.twitter.com\/IRSgh43oMW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LibDems\/status\/1168899150819266562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 3, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The defections were not only a response to the Labour and Tory positions on Brexit, but the increasing influence of the &#8220;extremist&#8221; fringes of their respective parties, according to the defectors.<\/p>\n<p>The PM is currently awaiting a response from EU leaders with regards to an extension.<\/p>\n<p>This is following his recent defeat in the Commons on &#8220;Super Saturday&#8221; when MPs approved the Letwin amendment.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Johnson was forced to request a three-month extension under the terms of the Benn Act.<\/p>\n<p>And yesterday night his Brexit bill timetable was rejected.<\/p>\n<p>The bill &#8211; known as the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) &#8211; passed at second reading.<\/p>\n<p>But because MPs want more time to scrutinise the legislation, Mr Johnson &#8220;paused&#8221; the bill.<\/p>\n<p>He has said that he will hold an election in the event that the EU agrees a long extension.<\/p>\n<p>This means that voters could be going to the polls before Christmas.<\/p>\n<p>Among the <strong>key target constituencies<\/strong> in London are:<\/p>\n<p>Bermondsey &amp; Old Southwark (Labour)<\/p>\n<p>Chelsea &amp; Fulham (Conservative)<\/p>\n<p>Cities of London &amp; Westminster (Conservative)<\/p>\n<p>Richmond Park (Conservative)<\/p>\n<p>Sutton &amp; Cheam (Conservative)<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Cities of London &amp; Westminster is a two horse race between Boris Johnson&#39;s hard Brexit Tories and pro-Remain <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LibDems?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LibDems<\/a> in our area.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChukaUmunna?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ChukaUmunna<\/a> is the Remain choice.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/75F0jgaYns\">https:\/\/t.co\/75F0jgaYns<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jWKAowCN0L\">pic.twitter.com\/jWKAowCN0L<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Westminster &amp; City Lib Dems \ud83d\udd36 (@WminsterLibDems) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WminsterLibDems\/status\/1187008490256109569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 23, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Once tipped as a future PM, recent defector Chuka Umunna &#8211; who briefly stood for Labour leader in 2015 &#8211; is expected to win Cities of London &amp; Westminster.<\/p>\n<p>This wealthy London constituency is one of several seats considered a Tory stronghold which the Lib Dems believe they are likely to gain.<\/p>\n<p>London&#8217;s population is much younger than most of the rest of the UK.<\/p>\n<p>This is particularly so in the boroughs which make up &#8220;inner London&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Inner London has a population of which almost 30% is currently in the 25 to 34 age range.<\/p>\n<p>Within this group, 62% voted to remain in the EU in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>[googlemaps https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=1725Yc0snK3NFoFZhKIPmSheNR_nw9KfH&amp;w=640&amp;h=480]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Map created by Scott Mathew via Google Maps.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>London Liberal Democrats will target younger voters aged 18 to 35 at the next general election.<\/p>\n<p>Official party policy is that a majority Lib Dem administration would revoke Article 50 and end Brexit completely.<\/p>\n<p>Most areas of Greater London, particularly those constituencies in central and the north-west, are traditionally considered safe Conservative seats.<\/p>\n<p>This was the case during the 18-years of Tory rule under Margaret Thatcher and then John Major (1979-1997).<\/p>\n<p>During the New Labour years, prime minister Tony Blair succeeded in turning the Greater London constituencies map red.<\/p>\n<p>When the next general election comes &#8211; and it is likely to be soon &#8211; the Lib Dems say they are ready to turn it yellow.<\/p>\n<p>Dimitri Stefanov, 30, who owns and runs a chandelier restoration and antiques shop on the King&#8217;s Road in Chelsea is originally from Bulgaria.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-30429\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2019\/10\/60127910_1328022547350767_6700774548041629696_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"960\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Dimitri Stefanov at work in his shop on the King&#8217;s Road, Chelsea. Image used with permission of Mr Stefanov<\/em><\/p>\n<p>From humble beginnings, Mr Stefanov came to the UK almost a decade ago, settling in London with very little money in his pocket.<\/p>\n<p>He found work as an apprentice in chandelier restoration and antiques repairs &#8211; which quickly became a passion.<\/p>\n<p>Becoming extremely skilled, he was able to start making a successful career and some money &#8211; much of which he would send back home to his family in Bulgaria who were struggling financially.<\/p>\n<p>The talented antiques dealer said:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I worked hard. I would wake up early and start working at around 6 or 7am and I wouldn&#8217;t finish until around 10pm at night or even later.<\/p>\n<p>London has provided me with the opportunity to make a better life for myself.<\/p>\n<p>This city has given me the life someone like me could never have back home.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>After only a few years, Mr Stefanov had set-up his own business and today is the owner of &#8216;Dimitri Stefanov Rock Crystal Chandeliers&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p>He told\u00a0<em>Voice of London<\/em> he is &#8220;very worried&#8221; about Brexit and what it might mean for him and his young but flourishing business.<\/p>\n<p>But he is more concerned about his mother &#8211; who moved to the UK capital to live with him only last year.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What will happen to her?&#8221; he said. &#8220;Boris Johnson seems to be concentrated on leaving the EU with no-deal. It&#8217;s crazy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em>The Guardian<\/em> reported earlier this month that two million EU citizens living in the UK had applied for the &#8220;right to remain&#8221; in the UK after Brexit.<\/p>\n<p>This was amid fears that the government&#8217;s perceived pursuit of a no-deal exit would see them forced to return to the continent.<\/p>\n<p>Home Secretary Priti Patel said at the time:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;EU citizens have made a huge contribution to this country and will play a key role in cementing Britain\u2019s status as an outward-looking, global leader after Brexit.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>She also said she was &#8220;thrilled&#8221; that so many applications had been made.<\/p>\n<p>It is people like Mr Stefanov who the London Lib Dems will be focused on when the government puts its case &#8211; and quite possibly its Brexit deal &#8211; to the country.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Words: Scott Mathew | Subbing: Michelle Del Rey | Featured image credit: London Maps 360<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Lib Dems are confident they will make big gains in the capital at the next general election &#8211; likely to be held before the end of the year\u00a0 As a general election looms closer&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":476,"featured_media":30424,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/476"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30420"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30420\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}