It should be our right as people in the United Kingdom that we can vote to elect our chosen candidate and party. It is deeply important to me, and in my opinion; democracy, that voters are armed with the tools and understanding of a) how elections work and b) which party and individual best aligns with their beliefs and interests. However, in the upcoming general election we are being faced with making a choice that may not align with our belief system, and rather using our vote to ‘tactically’, to remove a candidate and or party that we can stomach less than the other. This is an unfortunate situation for our democracy, but we must ‘hold our noses’ and do what is right for our families, communities, and nation as a whole.

The Conservative Party are now suggesting that people do not vote, using targeted, paid-for adverts and mail outs. We cannot allow them to mislead us and destroy our country any longer. It is for this reason that I am writing this letter: to hopefully ensure that those who are concerned about voting strategically to remove the Conservatives in the upcoming election are aware of the most effective way to vote tactically should this be their intention.

  1. I urge you to do your own research. 
  2. Use polls that are members of the British Polling Council – whose members ‘agree to the same rules on transparency’. (BBC News: General election 2024 poll tracker: How do the parties compare?) Electoral Calculus is a reliable poll that you can easily search on google and input your postcode.
  3. The local Torridge and Tavistock Conservatives themselves have only mentioned Labour as their competitor here, in their adverts and media. 
  4. Many tactical voting sites exist where you can input your postcode and it will tell you the best vote to eject the Conservatives from your constituency. Getvoting.org  

It's time for us to remove the self-serving Conservatives who thrive on dividing us, distracting us, and diminishing our sense of promise for a better future. Isabel Saxby for Labour has pledged to be a full-time MP, shutting down her business if elected to focus solely on the job of improving the lives of the residents of Torridge and Tavistock. She is an elected councillor in a local ward with a record of following through on her promises. Isabel wants to work to get our voice heard in Westminster. [Conservative councillor] Geoffrey Cox is asking voters to stay home, which is why you must get out and vote for change on July 4. Vote Labour, Vote Isabel Saxby. She will put you first.

Molly Limb

by email