Following the dissolution of parliament on Tuesday night, election campaigning from all sides is well under way.
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Experts are predicting that London will be a fierce battleground in this election, with 10 seats where a 5% swing could see the incumbent party beaten by the closest opposition.
Following the dissolution of parliament on Tuesday night, election campaigning from all sides is well under way.
But some candidates will be nervous about the likelihood of re-election.
Seats such as Kensington (Labour) and Richmond Park (Conservative) were both won by fewer than 50 votes in the 2017 general election.
Seats with fewer than 2,500 majority, include Battersea, Carshalton and Wallington, Chingford and Woodford Green, Chipping Barnet, Finchley and Golders Green, Harrow East, Hendon, Putney, Kensington and Richmond Park.
With both constituencies voting to remain by over 65%, the Liberal Democrats sense anopportunity to snatch both seats on 12 December.
Former Conservative-turned-Liberal Democrat Sam Gyimah will be standing in Kensington, hoping to overcome the narrow 20-seat majority from 2017.
Conservative hopes are reliant on a Lib Dem surge that will eat into Remain voters who backed Labour at the previous election.
The gamble is whether the leave vote will be large enough to hold against any exodus of ex-tory remain-voters.
60% of the marginal constituencies listed belong to the Tories, key targets for Labour and Lib Dems.
Difficult predictions
Tony Travers, professor of politics at LSE and election specialist, believes this election will be tougher than ever to predict, especially in London.
He says the difficulties come from the potential“hard to predict surge in two smaller parties” – the Liberal Democrats and Brexit Party – as it removes the more traditional binary swing between Conservatives and Labour.
In every seat, dynamics between the incumbent and the multiple opposition will play out differently.
Mr Travers expects high volumes of voter switching, on all sides:“[From] Labour to the Conservatives, Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats, Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives…the Brexit party that could affect the Conservatives in some parts of outer London.”
Chris Hopkins is the head of politics at ComRes, a leading pollster in the 2017 general election. ComRes say that Bermondsley and Southwark will be a key indicator for Labour’s performance in London. Labour currently hold the seat with a healthy majority but will face heavy challenge by the Liberal Democrats.
Stepping down from Westminster
Several London MPs have announced that they will not be running in the upcoming General Election. They include:
Justine Greening (Independent), Putney
Kate Hoey (Labour), Vauxhall
Nick Hurd (Conservative), Ruislip
Sir Vince Cable (Liberal Democrats), Twickenham
Stephen Pound (Labour), Ealing North
Joan Ryan (Change UK), Enfield North
Teresa Pearce (Labour), Erith and Thamesmead
Jo Johnson (Conservative), Orpington
Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour), Poplar and Limehouse
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HeadlineParties expected to fight over 10 London key battleground constituencies
Short HeadlineLondon a key battleground in election, experts say
StandfirstKey battlegrounds include constituencies in which less than a 5% swing could result in a change.
Experts are predicting that London will be a fierce battleground in this election, with 10 seats where a 5% swing could see the incumbent party beaten by the closest opposition.
Following the dissolution of parliament on Tuesday night, election campaigning from all sides is well under way.But some candidates will be nervous about the likelihood of re-election. Seats such as Kensington (Labour) and Richmond Park (Conservative) were both won by fewer than 50 votes in the 2017 general election. With both constituencies voting to remain by over 65%, the Liberal Democrats sense anopportunity to snatch both seats on December 12th. Former Conservative-turned-Liberal democrat Sam Gyimah will be standing in Kensington, hoping to overcome the narrow 20-seat majority from 2017.
Conservative hopes are reliant on a Lib Dem surge that will eat into the remain-voters who backed Labour at the previous election. The gamble is whether the leave vote will be large enough to hold against any exodus of ex-tory remain-voters. 6 of the 10 marginal constituencies listed belong to the Tories, key targets for Labour and Lib Dems.
Difficult predictions
Tony Travers, professor of politics at LSE and election specialist, believes this election will be tougher than ever to predict, especially in London. He says the difficulties come from the potential“hard to predict surge in two smaller parties” – the Liberal Democrats and Brexit Party – as it removes the more traditional binary swing between Conservatives and Labour.
In every seat, dynamics between the incumbent and the multiple opposition will play out differently.Tony expects high volumes of voter switching, on all sides:“[From] Labour to the Conservatives, Conservatives to the Liberal democrats, Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives…the Brexit party that could affect the conservatives in some parts of outer London”
Chris Hopkins is the head of politics at ComRes, a leading pollster in the 2017 general election. ComRes say that Bermondsley and Southwark will be a key indicator for Labour’s performance in London. Labour currently hold the seat with a healthy majority but will face heavy challenge by the Liberal Democrats.
Stepping down from Westminster…
These are the current MPs in London seats that will not be standing as candidates:
Justine Greening, Putney
Kate Hoey, Vauxhall
Nick Hurd, Ruislip
Sir Vince Cable, Twickenham
Stephen Pound, Ealing North
John Ryan, Enfield North
Teresa Pearce, Erith and Thamesmead
Jo Johnson, Orpington
Jim Fitzpatrick, Poplar and Limehouse
Experts are predicting that London will be a fierce battleground in this election, with 10 seats where a 5% swing could see the incumbent party beaten by the closest opposition.
Following the dissolution of parliament on Tuesday night, election campaigning from all sides is well under way.
But some candidates will be nervous about the likelihood of re-election.
Seats such as Kensington (Labour) and Richmond Park (Conservative) were both won by fewer than 50 votes in the 2017 general election.
Seats with fewer than 2,500 majority, include Battersea, Carshalton and Wallington, Chingford and Woodford Green, Chipping Barnet, Finchley and Golders Green, Harrow East, Hendon, Putney, Kensington and Richmond Park.
With both constituencies voting to remain by over 65%, the Liberal Democrats sense anopportunity to snatch both seats on 12 December.
Former Conservative-turned-Liberal Democrat Sam Gyimah will be standing in Kensington, hoping to overcome the narrow 20-seat majority from 2017.
Conservative hopes are reliant on a Lib Dem surge that will eat into Remain voters who backed Labour at the previous election.
The gamble is whether the leave vote will be large enough to hold against any exodus of ex-tory remain-voters.
60% of the marginal constituencies listed belong to the Tories, key targets for Labour and Lib Dems.
Difficult predictions
Tony Travers, professor of politics at LSE and election specialist, believes this election will be tougher than ever to predict, especially in London.
He says the difficulties come from the potential“hard to predict surge in two smaller parties” – the Liberal Democrats and Brexit Party – as it removes the more traditional binary swing between Conservatives and Labour.
In every seat, dynamics between the incumbent and the multiple opposition will play out differently.
Mr Travers expects high volumes of voter switching, on all sides:“[From] Labour to the Conservatives, Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats, Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives…the Brexit party that could affect the Conservatives in some parts of outer London.”
Chris Hopkins is the head of politics at ComRes, a leading pollster in the 2017 general election. ComRes say that Bermondsley and Southwark will be a key indicator for Labour’s performance in London. Labour currently hold the seat with a healthy majority but will face heavy challenge by the Liberal Democrats.
Stepping down from Westminster
Several London MPs have announced that they will not be running in the upcoming General Election. They include:
