Quote:
Originally Posted by Mick
I was confused by this as in 2015 Election, UKIP had 3,881,099 total votes. In the snap election in June, they had lost millions taking their final total vote tally to just 594,068.
I read previous analysis that that loss of over 3 million UKIP votes, that Labour were the major beneficiaries, but I now admit after reading the FT article linked below, it seems that the UKIP collapse, that it was the Tories that did.
https://www.ft.com/content/dac3a3b2-...a-1e14ce4af89b
I do remember on Election result night that many of the key seats, saw Labour get a wrath of surprise big swings from UKIP and I naturally assumed they were the big earners that night. As they say, assumptions are the mother of all... |
I think the Ukip voters defecting to the Conservatives explain why Theresa May is taking the position she is taking. A softer approach to Brexit could result in the Conservative vote being threatened in some constituencies in the event of a by-election. And every seat counts as the DUP knows.
But the Government also knows that the current approach could lead to companies leaving the UK, and not just the banks which attract less public sympathy than car workers. That is why the UK Government is working hard behind the scenes to try and keep manufacture of the next Astra in Ellesmere Port. Closure of this factory blamed on Brexit could influence public opinion towards Brexit negatively. It has an impossible job.
Labour needs to take a different approach particularly if it wants to hold onto the younger pro-EU electorate.