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Labour and Lib Dem general election pact shouldn’t target ‘progressive’ MPs, Plaid Cymru says

17 Feb 2022 3 minute read
Ceredigion MP Ben Lake speaking in the House of Commons

Plaid Cymru have said that a Labour and Liberal Democrat pact at the next General Election should avoid targeting their own seats.

The plan for a pact briefed to the Financial Times involves Labour running a ‘minimal campaign’ in 30 Lib Dem target seats such as Ceredigion and Brecon and Radnorshire.

The reported aim will be to increase the chance of having enough combined seats to win power in a hung parliament.

But a Plaid Cymru spokesperson told Nation.Cymru that if the purpose of the plan was to ensure progressive parties dominated at Westminster it made “no sense” to also target Plaid Cymru.

“If as reported, the purpose of this so-called non-aggression pact is to drive out Tory MPs then it makes absolutely no sense for to apply it in Plaid Cymru seats,” they said.

“Plaid Cymru is a progressive party that has consistently stood against the chaos, cruelty, and corruption of the Tories in Westminster.

“Ben Lake, our MP for Ceredigion, is a strong and effective voice for all the people of Ceredigion. Whether its championing local causes and businesses, standing up for rural communities, or taking the Tories to task, Ben has stood up time and again for Ceredigion.

“His tireless commitment to his constituents was recognised in force when he was returned to Parliament with one of the biggest majorities in Wales following the General Election of 2019 – with a vote share far ahead of both Labour’s and the Liberal Democrats combined. We have no doubt that Plaid Cymru can win again in Ceredigion regardless of the arrangements between Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

“But if Labour and the Lib Dems are serious about maximising the number of progressive MPs in Parliament, they should publicly commit to disapplying any non-aggression pact in seats held by progressive parties.”

‘Not good’

Keir Starmer’s allies told the Financial Times that the deal with the Lib Dems made sense as none of Labour’s top target seats features on the Lib Dems’ list of top 30 target seats.

“If both parties put resources into where they are most likely to win, you end up with more Labour seats and more Lib Dem seats,” they said.

Thinking forward to a potential hung parliament, they added: “We can’t be in a position like we were in 2010 when we barely knew each other.”

The Liberal Democrats last year won shock wins in the Chesham and Amersham and North Shropshire by-elections, leading to Conservative fears that they could topple the Conservative ‘Blue Wall’ in the south of England.

Meanwhile, Labour plan to focus on winning back the ‘Red Wall’ seats that stretch into the north-east of Wales.

“If Labour and the Liberal Democrats spend all their time and money trying to beat each other it’s really not good for progressive politics,” one Lib Dem strategist said.

“We need to fight in the areas where we can win and that is the overwhelming priority.”

The Liberal Democrats held Ceredigion until the 2017 election when they were narrowly beaten by Plaid Cymru’s Ben Lake. In 2019 however they fell back further, behind the Conservatives into third place.

Ceredigion is number 30 on their list of top target seats. Together the Lib Dems and Labour would have won 13,292 votes in the seats, still short of the 15,208 won by Plaid Cymru, but more than the 8,879 won by the Conservatives.


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GW Atkinson
GW Atkinson
2 years ago

When a unionist MP stands in Wales, they they get their funding from England?

hdavies15
hdavies15
2 years ago

Beware Ben, these duplicious bast***s are gunning for you. Nice to your face but gagging to remove you. You been doing a tidy job so far so get campaigning now on how little any of them have ever done for your constituency.

Grayham Jones
2 years ago

Plaid Cymru got to stand in every seat in wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 it’s time for a new wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 kick all English party’s out of wales that’s the Tories Labour and all Brexit party’s stop being little Englanders and and be proud to be welsh

Cat
Cat
2 years ago

What is progressive about the Liberal Democrats? We saw their true colours in their pact with the Conservatives; austerity, hiked up tuition fees, path to zero carbon spiked. The Lib Dems are just Tories with kinder smiles.
I’d prefer a Labour, SNP, Plaid pact.

Glen
Glen
2 years ago
Reply to  Cat

Where have you been living?
Scottish Labour are in bed with the Scots Tories.

Richard
Richard
2 years ago

Plaid considered a few years back running a candidate or associate ons in the then
Oswestry seat – now lib dem held…🤭

Ex Plaid member
Ex Plaid member
2 years ago

Ceredigion is blessed at M.P. and A.M. level. Council level a lot less so(******** muppets). If all Plaid politicians were as sane and community focused as Ben Lake and Elin Jones, then independence would make a lot of sense. But …..

Richard
Richard
2 years ago

I think the self determination which led Gwynfors’ life was about empowering the individual and the community for the nation. He saw Plaid as the main conduate for change not perhaps the party that would run Cymru newydd. Its very easy to see the good and less good points of any party or individual within it ……and be diverted from the vision we mostly share in these columns. Gwynfor must have been disapointed by some of the other ‘ leaders ‘ within Plaid who were diverted by personal ambition – but he carried on with the project. We need to… Read more »

Last edited 2 years ago by Richard
Jed
Jed
2 years ago

Well he would say that, wouldn’t he

Peter Cuthbert
Peter Cuthbert
2 years ago
Reply to  Jed

Whilst this announcement is welcome at one level it still shows that Kier Starmer has not really ‘got it’. The idea of running a ‘minimal’ campaign in a constituency is still dividing the anti-Tory Vote. He has also said nothing about the need for all cnadidates to be standing on an eletoral reform ticket. Basically he just wants the Lib Dems to do more work in consituencies where the labour vote is traditionally low. Perhaps Plaid needs to call a meeting with the Lib Dems and Labour and say we will join you but only if you adopt the Electoral… Read more »

Mr Williams
Mr Williams
2 years ago

Ben Lake is a great MP so I’m sure he doesn’t need to worry about this.

A great idea for the Labour and Lib Dems to team up and oust Tory Maps. More cooperating between progressive parties please!

Llefain
Llefain
2 years ago

Labour showing their true colours again.
Jaundiced.

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