Jump to content

Unite to Remain

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Monkbot (talk | contribs) at 02:39, 20 January 2021 (Task 18 (cosmetic): eval 31 templates: del empty params (9×); hyphenate params (15×); del |url-status= (3×);). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Constituencies covered by the pact, colour-coded by standing party

Unite to Remain (Welsh: Uno i Aros)[1] was a campaign and electoral pact during the 2019 United Kingdom general election. It involved three parties that supported remaining in the European Union: the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party of England and Wales, and, in Wales, Plaid Cymru. Its stated goal was to avoid the spoiler effect and maximise the number of MPs elected who would oppose Brexit.

In 49 constituencies in England and 11 in Wales, the pact led to only one of these parties standing a candidate. Of the 60 constituencies, 43 had Liberal Democrat candidates only, 10 had Green Party candidates only, and 7 had Plaid Cymru candidates only.[2][3][4][5][6] The seats covered by the pact included some defended by a Unite to Remain party, as well as target seats currently held by the Conservative or Labour parties.

Nine Unite to Remain candidates were elected (5 Liberal Democrats, 3 Plaid Cymru, 1 Green), which represented one gain and one loss compared to the 2017 general election results.

Details

Though there was no formal pact, the August 2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election saw the Greens and Plaid Cymru stand aside for the Liberal Democrat candidate Jane Dodds,[7] who defeated the Conservative candidate by a small margin.[8] This arrangement was mooted as being the basis for a wider-ranging "Remain Alliance".[9]

The Unite to Remain group which brokered the pact was formed by the outgoing MP for South Cambridgeshire, Heidi Allen, in July 2019.[10][11] The alliance approached the Labour party at an early stage, but were rebuffed.[12] The Labour peer Jim Knight is one of the directors of Unite to Remain.[13] The group was registered as a "non-party campaigner" with the Electoral Commission in November 2019.[14]

Seats were selected based on a targeted pooling of resources and only with the consent of local parties. All the parties also support electoral reform.[12] Liberal Democrat activists in constituencies where their party stood aside were encouraged to either campaign for the Unite to Remain candidate there, or to campaign in a nearby seat.[15]

On 13 November 2019, Unite to Remain and the Renew Party announced that Renew would not contest any of the 60 Unite to Remain target seats.[16]

List of constituencies

Incumbents marked in italics did not stand for re-election in that constituency.

Darker rows indicate constituencies where the Unite to Remain party won the previous election (the 2017 general election or the 2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election). The pact also covers three seats where, during the 2017–2019 Parliament, incumbent MPs defected from other parties to the Liberal Democrats.

Constituency Country Unite to Remain party Unite to Remain candidate Incumbent party Incumbent Refs Result
Arfon Wales style="background-color: Template:Plaid Cymru/meta/color" | Plaid Cymru Hywel Williams style="background-color: Template:Plaid Cymru/meta/color" | Plaid Cymru Hywel Williams [17] Elected
Bath England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Wera Hobhouse style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Wera Hobhouse Elected
Bermondsey and Old Southwark England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Humaira Ali style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | Labour Neil Coyle [18] Not elected
Brecon and Radnorshire Wales style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds [17] Not elected
Brighton Pavilion England style="background-color: Template:Green Party of England and Wales/meta/color" | Green Caroline Lucas style="background-color: Template:Green Party of England and Wales/meta/color" | Green Caroline Lucas [19] Elected
Bristol West England style="background-color: Template:Green Party of England and Wales/meta/color" | Green Carla Denyer style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | Labour Thangam Debbonaire [20] Not elected
Buckingham England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Stephen Dorrell Speaker John Bercow [21] Not elected
Bury St Edmunds England style="background-color: Template:Green Party of England and Wales/meta/color" | Green Helen Geake style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Jo Churchill Not elected
Caerphilly Wales style="background-color: Template:Plaid Cymru/meta/color" | Plaid Cymru Lindsay Whittle style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | Labour Wayne David [22] Not elected
Cannock Chase England style="background-color: Template:Green Party of England and Wales/meta/color" | Green Paul Woodhead style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Amanda Milling Not elected
Cardiff Central Wales style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Bablin Molik style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | Labour Jo Stevens [17] Not elected
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr Wales style="background-color: Template:Plaid Cymru/meta/color" | Plaid Cymru Jonathan Edwards style="background-color: Template:Plaid Cymru/meta/color" | Plaid Cymru Jonathan Edwards [17] Elected
Cheadle England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Tom Morrison style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Mary Robinson Not elected
Chelmsford England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Marie Goldman style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Vicky Ford Not elected
Chelsea and Fulham England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Nicola Horlick style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Greg Hands Not elected
Cheltenham England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Max Wilkinson style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Alex Chalk Not elected
Chippenham England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Helen Belcher style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Michelle Donelan Not elected
Dulwich and West Norwood England style="background-color: Template:Green Party of England and Wales/meta/color" | Green Jonathan Bartley style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | Labour Helen Hayes [18] Not elected
Dwyfor Meirionnydd Wales style="background-color: Template:Plaid Cymru/meta/color" | Plaid Cymru Liz Saville Roberts style="background-color: Template:Plaid Cymru/meta/color" | Plaid Cymru Liz Saville-Roberts [17] Elected
Esher and Walton England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Monica Harding style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Dominic Raab Not elected
Exeter England style="background-color: Template:Green Party of England and Wales/meta/color" | Green Joe Levy style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | Labour Ben Bradshaw [23] Not elected
Finchley and Golders Green England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Luciana Berger style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Mike Freer Not elected
Forest of Dean England style="background-color: Template:Green Party of England and Wales/meta/color" | Green Chris McFarling style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Mark Harper Not elected
Guildford England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Zöe Franklin style="background-color: Template:Independent politician/meta/color" | Independent
won as Conservative
Anne Milton Not elected
Harrogate and Knaresborough England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Judith Rogerson style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Andrew Jones Not elected
Hazel Grove England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Lisa Smart style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative William Wragg Not elected
Hitchin and Harpenden England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Sam Collins style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Bim Afolami Not elected
Isle of Wight England style="background-color: Template:Green Party of England and Wales/meta/color" | Green Vix Lowthion style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Bob Seely Not elected
Llanelli Wales style="background-color: Template:Plaid Cymru/meta/color" | Plaid Cymru Mari Arthur style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | Labour Nia Griffith [22] Not elected
Montgomeryshire Wales style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Kishan Devani style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Glyn Davies [22] Not elected
North Cornwall England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Danny Chambers style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Scott Mann Not elected
North Norfolk England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Karen Ward style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Norman Lamb Not elected
Oxford West and Abingdon England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Layla Moran style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Layla Moran Elected
Penistone and Stocksbridge England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Hannah Kitching style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats
won as Labour
Angela Smith Not elected
Pontypridd Wales style="background-color: Template:Plaid Cymru/meta/color" | Plaid Cymru Fflur Elin style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | Labour Owen Smith [22] Not elected
Portsmouth South England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Gerald Vernon-Jackson style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | Labour Stephen Morgan Not elected
Richmond Park England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Sarah Olney style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Zac Goldsmith Elected
Romsey and Southampton North England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Craig Fletcher style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Caroline Nokes Not elected
Rushcliffe England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Jason Billin style="background-color: Template:Independent politician/meta/color" | Independent
won as Conservative
Kenneth Clarke Not elected
Stroud England style="background-color: Template:Green Party of England and Wales/meta/color" | Green Molly Scott Cato style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | Labour David Drew Not elected
South Cambridgeshire England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Ian Sollom style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats
won as Conservative
Heidi Allen [24] Not elected
South East Cambridgeshire England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Pippa Heylings style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Lucy Frazer Not elected
South West Surrey England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Paul Follows style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Jeremy Hunt Not elected
Southport England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats John Wright style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Damien Moore Not elected
Taunton Deane England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Gideon Amos style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Rebecca Pow Not elected
Thornbury and Yate England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Claire Young style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Luke Hall Not elected
Totnes England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Sarah Wollaston style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats
won as Conservative
Sarah Wollaston Not elected
Tunbridge Wells England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Ben Chapelard style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Greg Clark Not elected
Twickenham England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Munira Wilson style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Vince Cable Elected
Wantage England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Richard Benwell style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Ed Vaizey Not elected
Warrington South England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Ryan Bate style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | Labour Faisal Rashid Not elected
Westmorland and Lonsdale England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Tim Farron style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Tim Farron Elected
Watford England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Ian Stotesbury style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Richard Harrington Not elected
Wells England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Tessa Munt style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative James Heappey Not elected
Wimbledon England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Paul Kohler style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Stephen Hammond Not elected
Winchester England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Paula Ferguson style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Steve Brine Not elected
Witney England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Charlotte Hoagland style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Robert Courts Not elected
Vale of Glamorgan Wales style="background-color: Template:Green Party of England and Wales/meta/color" | Green Anthony Slaughter style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Alun Cairns [22] Not elected
York Outer England style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | Liberal Democrats Keith Aspden style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative Julian Sturdy Not elected
Ynys Môn Wales style="background-color: Template:Plaid Cymru/meta/color" | Plaid Cymru Aled ap Dafydd style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | Labour Albert Owen [22] Not elected

Pre-election analysis

Psephologist John Curtice stated that the pact could be critical in "half a dozen" seats that could have otherwise been won by the Conservatives.[25]

An analysis published in the Financial Times attempted to evaluate the potential impact of the pact. This analysis applied uniform regional swing based on polling (as of early November) to the 2017 result to estimate the parties' standings in the seats before the pact, then assumed that voters for parties standing aside would transfer their support as per the pact. The analysis found that in 18 seats the Unite to Remain party would not need the pact in order to win, in 39 the pact would be insufficient to secure victory, and in two (Brecon and Radnorshire and Winchester) the pact would make the critical difference between winning and losing for the Unite to Remain party.[26]

Other pro-Remain arrangements

In addition to the Unite to Remain pact, the Liberal Democrats did not stand candidates against the following anti-Brexit or "soft Brexit" supporting incumbents:

All failed to be elected.

In Canterbury, the original Liberal Democrat candidate (Tim Walker) stood down in aid of the Labour incumbent Rosie Duffield, but the Lib Dems stood a replacement candidate.[30] Duffield retained her seat.

In Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Green Party in Northern Ireland all stood aside in certain constituencies to increase the chances of anti-Brexit candidates.[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Gwil #FBPE #RevokeA50 #UniteToRemain 🚥 🌏 (@Better_Gov) | Twitter". twitter.com.
  2. ^ "The Guardian view on the Unite to Remain pact: a response to a failed system | Editorial". The Guardian. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  3. ^ Nixon, Matthew (7 November 2019). "Polling expert John Curtice makes prediction about Remain pact". The New European. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  4. ^ Hymas, Charles (7 November 2019). "Tories seek electoral watchdog inquiry into Remain electoral pact that threatens their seats". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  5. ^ "Unite to Remain agreement". Liberal Democrats. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  6. ^ Proctor, Kate (7 November 2019). "Lib Dems, Greens and Plaid Cymru reveal remain election pact". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  7. ^ Devlin, Kate (4 July 2019). "Remain by-election pact could cut new PM's majority to three". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  8. ^ "'Surely now he has to listen?' Newly-elected MP Jane Dodds says she will challenge PM to take no deal off table". ITV News. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  9. ^ "Hopes grow for General Election 'Remain Alliance' following Brecon and Radnorshire by-election". Left Foot Forward. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  10. ^ "Green Party responds to announcement of formation of Unite for Remain | The Green Party". www.greenparty.org.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  11. ^ Tidey, Alice (7 November 2019). "'Unite to Remain': UK parties form anti-Brexit election pact". euronews. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  12. ^ a b Rea, Ailbhe (7 November 2019). "A guide to the Remain pact between the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the Greens". New Statesman. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  13. ^ Walker, Peter; Stewart, Heather (6 November 2019). "Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and Greens to launch pro-remain pact". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  14. ^ "View registration – Unite to Remain". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  15. ^ http://www.libdems.org.uk (7 November 2019). "Unite to Remain agreement". Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 10 November 2019. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
  16. ^ Allen, Heidi (13 November 2019). "Thank you @RenewParty ! This is what country first politics looks like https://twitter.com/renewparty/status/1194570741410344960 …". @heidiallen75. Retrieved 14 November 2019. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  17. ^ a b c d e "The seats in Wales that are part of the 'Remain Alliance' pact". ITV News. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  18. ^ a b Salisbury, Josh (7 November 2019). "General Election 2019: 'Unite to Remain' pact agreed in Bermondsey & Old Southwark and Dulwich & West Norwood". Southwark News. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  19. ^ le Duc, Frank (7 November 2019). "Brighton Pavilion Lib Dem candidate stands down for second election running". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  20. ^ Cork, Tristan; Rogers, Alexandra (7 November 2019). "Lib Dems will not field a candidate in Bristol West". Bristol Post. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  21. ^ Dean, Sam (7 November 2019). "Liberal Democrat candidate 'grateful' The Green Party is stepping aside in Buckingham". Buckingham Today. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  22. ^ a b c d e f "The seats in Wales that are part of the 'Remain Alliance' pact". ITV News. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  23. ^ Lloyd, Howard (7 November 2019). "Liberal Democrats reveal they will not contest Exeter at general election". Devon Live. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  24. ^ Gardner, Gemma (7 November 2019). "General Election 2019: Green Party step aside for Liberal Democrats in Unite to Remain agreement". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  25. ^ Nixon, Matthew. "Polling expert John Curtice makes prediction about Remain pact". The New European. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  26. ^ Payne, Sebastian; Stabe, Martin (7 November 2019). "Three anti-Brexit parties launch election pact in 60 seats". Financial Times. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  27. ^ Jones, Amy (30 October 2019). "Lib Dems will stand aside for Dominic Grieve, as polling predicts a Boris Johnson majority". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  28. ^ "Luton Liberal Democrats Put Country Before Party By Standing Down In Luton South For Pro-Remain Independent – Luton Liberal Democrats". www.lutonlibdems.org.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  29. ^ Sandeman, Kit (7 November 2019). "Lib Dems will not stand in Broxtowe against Anna Soubry, party confirms". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  30. ^ Francis, Paul (13 November 2019). "General Election 2019: Liberal Democrats line up new candidate Claire Malcolmson to replace Tim Walker in Canterbury". Kent Online. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  31. ^ Rory Carroll (4 November 2019). "Sinn Féin to stand aside for remain candidates in three constituencies". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2019.