The Liberal Democrats have long been surging in areas that voted Remain. Tim Farron’s party won the recent Richmond Park by-election by turning the contest into a referendum on Brexit. As the party of Remain, they stand to benefit from voters aggrieved by Theresa May’s approach. An Ipsos MORI poll published yesterday put them on 14 per cent, their highest rating for five years. The party’s membership has risen by 1,500 since their by-election victory.
But many have warned of the limitations of the “48 per cent strategy”. While it served the Lib Dems well in Richmond (which was 72 per cent Remain) it could hinder them in Leave regions such as the south west. Only one of the party’s top 30 Tory targets (Lewes) is a Remain seats with a Leave MP. But there is reason to believe the party can overcome this apparent hurdle.
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