MEDIA RELEASES

Embargo: 12.01pm Sunday 14^th September 2008

Contact: Mark Littlewood 0797 456 92 99

Read the full report here.

2 out of 3 LibDem MPs could lose their seats unless party pledges tax cuts

Two thirds of LibDem MPs in England could lose their seats to David Cameron’s Conservatives unless the Liberal Democrats promise substantial tax cuts.

That is the conclusion reached by the authors of an extensive research report –“The Cameron Effect: The electoral threat to the Liberal Democrats and how to combat it” - to be released by the campaign group Liberal Vision tomorrow.

Liberal Vision – the new LibDem group committed to lower taxes, a smaller state and more personal freedom - has analysed all 53 LibDem-held seats in England.

The report shows:

• Based on recent opinion polls, 35 out of 53 LibDem seats in England would be lost to the Tories on a uniform national swing.
   
• In 41 (c.80%) of the seats, the Tories are the main challengers to the LibDems – and in 31 (c.60%) of the 53 seats, the LibDems face a “measurable” or “high” risk of losing to the Conservatives.
   
• A strategy of targeting resources on 50 Labour-held would be deeply misguided - only five such seats would fall to the LibDems based on present opinion polls.
   
• The LibDems must support an aggressively low-tax agenda to see off any Conservative advance into LibDem territory – including tax cuts for the affluent, not just for “low earners” and “middle earners”.
   
• In most seats, “Conservative votes count double” as far as the prospects of the Liberal Democrats are concerned.

Mark Littlewood, Chairman of Liberal Vision, and one of the reports authors said:

“The main electoral battle for the LibDems is against the Tories. Only a low tax, anti-waste message can turn the tide against Cameron. Winning over soft Tory voters is the name of the game. We must promise that they can keep more of their hard-earned cash - and that politicians and bureaucrats will spend less of it. This pledge has to be made to the affluent, as well as to the poor.”

Commenting on the Holmes-Harris amendment tabled for Monday afternoon’s “Make it Happen” debate, Chandila Fernando – director of Liberal Vision - said:

“It would be an ideological and electoral disaster for the Liberal Democrats if this amendment passes. Nick Clegg realises that liberalism means more power and money for the people of this country - and less for its politicians. We should not only get behind him – we should encourage him to go further.”

ENDS

Notes 

1. Advanced copies of the report are available to the media (those with press passes to Liberal Democrat conference) between 10.30am and 11am from the media entrance to the conference centre or by emailing mark.littlewood@progressive-vision.org
2. Liberal Vision’s report is covered on BBC 1’s Politics Show at 12pm today.
3. The report is formally launched at Liberal Vision’s fringe meeting at 1pm on Monday at Old Harry’s Bar, The Marriott Hotel, Bournemouth. The meeting is chaired by Mike Smithson (Editor of politicalbetiing.com), speakers include Mark Littlewood (Chairman, Liberal Vision and Head of Media for the Liberal Democrats from 2004-2007), Chandila Fernando (Director, Liberal Vision), Sal Brinton (LibDem PPC, Watford) and Gareth Epps (LibDem PPC, Reading East).
4. Liberal Vision’s website – www.liberal-vision.org – goes live at 11am on Sunday 14^th September.
5. Liberal Vision’s Chairman and Director are available for interview from 12.01pm on Sunday 14^th September.
6. The 53 LibDem seats profiled include all those held by the party in England and those that would have been won at the last election if the new electoral boundaries had applied.