Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Politics
Andrew Woodcock

General election: Liberal Democrats add 'stop Brexit' to ballot paper to appeal to Remain voters

Jo Swinson speaks outside the Senedd, also known as the National Assembly building, in Cardiff ( PA )

Liberal Democrat candidates will be able to appeal to Remain-backing voters by putting “stop Brexit” on the ballot paper for the 12 Decembergeneral election.

The Electoral Commission allowed party officials to register the phrase “Liberal Democrats – to stop Brexit” on the voting slip.

And Jo Swinson‘s party said the move will help candidates in constituencies across the country to attract voters who agree with their policy of revoking Article 50 to stop Brexit.

The party’s candidate for South Cambridgeshire, Ian Sollom, said he intends to use the description as he seeks to overturn the 24.6 per cent majority recorded for Tories in 2017 by Heidi Allen, who later defected to the Lib Dems but is not standing in this election.

South Cambridgeshire is one of the Remain-backing constituencies where Lib Dems say that internal polling suggests a “seismic” shift in their favour, allowing them to leapfrog Labour to become the Tories’ main challengers.

Speaking to The Independent, Mr Sollom said: “The Liberal Democrats are the biggest, strongest party of Remain. Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to stop Brexit and build a brighter future.

“We can’t make it any clearer than putting it on the ballot paper, and that is literally what we have done. 

How the designation on the ballot paper could look (Liberal Democrats)

“South Cambridgeshire, like so many communities across the country, deserves the chance to reject the Brexit chaos on offer from Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson.

“That’s why it is so important Jo Swinson has the opportunity to articulate the case for Remain in the leaders’ debates. To deny that is an affront to democracy.”

Social media is an increasingly important battle ground in elections - and home to many questionable claims pumped out by all sides. If social media sites won't investigate the truth of divisive advertising, we will. Please send any political Facebook advertising you receive to digitaldemocracy@independent.co.uk, and we will catalogue and investigate it. Read more here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.