The Green Party has tactically withdrawn its candidate to support Labour’s Faiza Shaheen’s bid to unseat Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith in the upcoming general election in Chingford & Woodford Green.
John Tyne, who had been the Green Party candidate for Chingford & Woodford Green, said that the veteran Tory’s record as Works and Pensions Secretary and the suffering Universal Credit had caused meant he was “unfit for office.”
“The Green Party has long believed the most vulnerable members of society need to be protected,” said Mr Tyne. “The actions of Iain Duncan Smith as the architect of the failed rollout of Universal Credit mean that we believe he is unfit for office.
“The party believes that its withdrawal from this election offers the best chance for voters to register a concerted vote against him and his failed policy.”
In the 2017 election, the Green Party secured 1,204 votes in the North East London constituency, with the Conservative majority drastically reduced from 8,386 to 2,438 votes.
The absence of a Green Party candidate on the ballot will increase the possibility of a Labour victory for popular Chingford local Faiza Shaheen.
Faiza Shaheen is leading a lively campaign to unseat the Conservative bogey man for the sick, disabled and elderly, many of whom still demand an inquiry into the multi-million debacle of work assessments and the suffering they caused. Despite his Universal Credits debacle too, Iain Duncan Smith may still win by a nose.
The Chingford-raised economist is a feisty regular on BBC Question Time and other news shows and very loyal to Jeremy Corbyn who has joined her on her local campaign.
She said: “I would like to thank the Green Party for standing aside and supporting me in my efforts to unseat Iain Duncan Smith. The choice in Chingford & Woodford Green is clear; it is either me or him.“
“There are important issues that the Green Party and I agree on, such as the fight for effective climate policy and democratic reform,” added Shaheen, vowing: ” I will continue to advocate for progressive policy and will work with local Greens to ensure that their voice is heard in Parliament.”
“The news of the Brexit Party standing down in a pact with the Conservatives has exacerbated the stark choice that the electorate are faced with in this General Election.
“A vote for the Labour Party is a vote for our beloved NHS, the elderly, our schools, a final say on Brexit and the environment. A vote for the Tories is a vote for a Trump alliance that will see our NHS opened up to American pharmaceuticals, the denial of a climate emergency and a disastrous Brexit deal.
“We must work together to stop Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party from causing further havoc to our society, reverse austerity and ensure the public have the final say on Brexit.”
“Iain Duncan Smith has demonstrated through his horrendous record on welfare that he does not care for people who are struggling to make ends meet,” said local Green Party Co-ordinator Andrew Johns.
“He also disregards the seriousness of the climate emergency, having repeatedly voted in Parliament against measures to reduce carbon emissions”.
“Any decision that can lead to him being unseated is one that will mean we are a step closer to that greener and fairer world.”
Iain Duncan Smith’s record on climate change is appalling. As is Boris Johnson’s government. Mr Johns who is standing as the Green candidate in nearby Walthamstow added:
“While there are still some differences of opinion between the Greens and Labour on environmental targets, Faiza is an advocate of a more progressive politics and has agreed to work with local Green Party members in our fight against airport expansions and for ambitiously reducing carbon emissions.”
The local party strategy follows the Green Party decision to embrace Unite to Remain across England and Wales, which will ensure the Remain vote is most effectively represented in the new Parliament. It said it would be encouraging members to campaign in Green Party target seats, e.g. Brighton and Bristol West.
The Green Party are campaigning for Proportional Representation.
In the last election, the Green Party gained 1 MP from 525,655 votes across the UK, whilst the SNP secured 35 MPs with just under twice that number.
The chances of the Conservative Party forming a majority government have greatly increased after Brexit Party leader Nige Farage promised to not contest the 317 seats the Tories won in the last election, and to concentrate Brexit Party resources on Labour seats.
Giving Boris Johnson half a chance would prevent a second referendum happening, said Nigel Farage.
Ian Lavery, Labour Party Chair, warned: “This is a Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson alliance with Donald Trump to sell out our country and send £500 million per week from our NHS to US drugs companies.
“We urge voters to reject this Thatcherite 1980s tribute act, which would lead to more savage Tory attacks on working class communities. Our NHS is not for sale.“
The polls already show a substantial swing from Labour to Conservatives, so the Brexit Party’s withdrawal is good news for Boris Johnson.
But the Tory Party face a harder time in urban seats and in the South with opposition parties determined to claim some big scalps like Iain Duncan Smith or even the PM Boris Johnson in Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
A major problem is the split in pro-Remain and confirmatory referendum parties now Farage is endorsing the Tories to Brexit supporters despite previous comments about how disastrous Johnson’s deal would be.
Polling analysis by Best For Britain has revealed the importance of tactical voting against the Tory Party in the upcoming election . It could mean the difference in as many as 80 seats. – The difference between a Tory majority with 364 seats and an alliance of opposition parties able to form a majority.
Remain United has also used polling data, working with Electoral Calculus and ComRes to identify the most tactical vote to stop a Tory landslide victory. Both have tactical voting guides.
READ MORE: Farage says Brexit Party won’t contest any seats won by Tories in last election
‘There’s a lot of backlash against Boris here’, Uxbridge and South Ruislip residents say
Iain Duncan Smith picking his nose and eating it is just a taste of things to come
Boris Johnson fails to honour Parliament’s climate emergency vote
