Shropshire Star

Gina Miller urges Remainers to vote tactically to ‘take back control’

The Brexit campaigner borrowed a phrase from the Tories to say the only way avoid a Conservative government is by voting tactically.

Published
Gina Miller

Campaigner and businesswoman Gina Miller, who has successfully campaigned against the Government’s Brexit strategy, has urged Remain supporters to vote tactically in the General Election.

Ms Miller said the only way to avoid a Conservative government is by voting tactically, and urged Remain voters to “take back control” of the political agenda.

She added that although the Liberal Democrats’ current position in the polls is “disappointing”, there is still a long way to go, with the last three days before the election being “what really matters”.

Speaking at a campaign event with Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Luciana Berger in East Finchley, Ms Miller said: “They (the Conservatives) are taking us to a place which is so damaging.

“And we can stop it. And the only way, I’m afraid at this election, is by tactical voting.

“Wining is not just about defeating the Conservative majority, if we can get them to less than 10 we can still get in there and make sure we have a say in the situation.

“It literally is, to take their phrase, taking back control.”

Mrs Miller has twice led successful legal challenges against the Conservative government – first when the Supreme Court ruled in favour of giving MPs a say over triggering Article 50, and second earlier this year when the Court ruled that Boris Johnson’s decision to prorogue Parliament for several weeks was unlawful.

She added: “ Right now, according to our data from last Monday, the Conservatives are sitting on a majority of 12. If we tactically vote they will be in minus territory.

“The message that we’re pushing forwards is that a Tory majority gives you no options. That’s it, game over.”

Ms Miller did concede that the Liberal Democrats’ current position in the polls in “disappointing”, but added that she did not believe this was because of the unpopularity of their party leader Jo Swinson.

“They (the Liberal Democrats) should be sweeping up votes and we need to figure out why that’s not happening,” she said.

Questioned on whether Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson’s failure to impress voters has had a part to play, Ms Miller told the PA news agency: “I think it’s more about policy.”

Pushed on if she meant the Liberal Democrats’ revoke position on Brexit, she added: “No, not that.”

Ms Miller added there are “two campaigns happening”, a national one and local ones, and that “Luciana’s doing well” in Finchley and Golders Green.

She added: “The last three days before the election is when it really matters – there’s still time to go.”

Tactical voting can work effectively, especially in an “unusual election”, Ms Miller said.

Constituency profile: Finchley & Golders Green
(PA Graphics)

“When I launched the tactical voting campaign in 2017, everybody said it couldn’t be done. So we can do it again, we need to do it again.

“The national scene is not being played out in local constituencies, this is a very unusual election. Those sites who are just looking at data from 2015 and 2017 will get it wrong – this election, voters are not behaving as they did in the past,” she said.

Ms Miller told the group of campaigners in Finchley that the idea of tactical voting is “now in people’s minds”.

Ms Berger added: “We’re coming a close second – there’s everything to play for in this constituency. Tactical voting can make a difference here.”

Inaccurate data and misleading adverts are being used as “a political weapon” during the election campaign and “must be called out”, Ms Miller also warned.

“Misusing data is just wrong.  It’s incredibly frustrating for me, it makes me very angry, because people believe the data,” she said.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.