The following article is primarily concerned with how we approach Labour voters nationally and locally (outside Labour-facing seats). I have much respect for the many local parties, whether in Liverpool or Southwark, who have taken a strong fight to Labour and for whom much of the criticism here would not apply.

The 2019 and 2024 General Elections made one thing clear – parties cannot control tactical voting, only voters can, and their decision is circumstantial. The reason it worked in 2024 without alliances but failed in 2019 with pacts is because voters were ready to do it in the former and not the latter, our leaflets simply reminded them we were the best option in certain areas.

Almost all the leaflets targeted at Labour voters in target seats simply had previous results as a reason to vote for us, rarely providing any reasons to differentiate us from Labour. This was to avoid ‘offending’ Labour voters who could tactically vote for us, which was understandable, the persistence of this mindset, however, is not. Our dependence on a pure tactical voting message has left us with a chunk of unsustainable voters (YouGov Oct ’24), we saw how detrimental a reliance on borrowed votes can be with the collapse of the Conservative vote in the Red Wall. 

As the Conservatives continue to struggle with their national revival, often placing third in the polls, and Labour continues with unpopular decisions in government, the notion of tactical voting weakens more and more. A recent poll puts us within 11 percentage points of four other parties. This becomes a greater issue amongst younger generations who are so disillusioned with the establishment (a recent poll showed they’d prefer a dictatorship) that they are more likely to vote on values, not statistical probabilities – especially when those statistics show “this is how things have been in the past.” 

But it is not too late, we can still fully switch these voters to create a more sustainable base, but only if we have the courage to take the fight to Labour.

We must shake off the fear of offending Labour voters for three reasons.

1. Labour never thinks twice before attacking us, with an increasing number of their MPs returning to their old habits – which Labour-facing Lib Dems know too well. 
2. We have a misconception that Labour voters in Tory-Lib Dem seats must have a set of views and a sense of loyalty to their party, leading us to over-triangulate our approach when voters have never been more volatile. While we worry about the balance, Reform is leading a new wave of Labour voters towards them and their harmful ideas having already taken a wave of Conservative voters, because voters don’t pigeon-hole themselves into a set of views or parties. 
3. We risk being overshadowed by the right’s big attacks on Labour. While the future of the Conservatives is still a big unknown, we have seen them quickly regain seats in council by-elections, including in a ward previously held by one of our new MPs. I have particularly seen in London how an unpopular Labour administration can hurt us. Despite our great success in the General Election, the presence of Sadiq Khan in the election two months prior meant we did not make gains in the Assembly; and just missed out in a council by-election in Sutton – where we made two parliamentary gains. 

This is not to say we must adopt unrealistic populist stances for opposition’s sake, but we need to be smarter and accept that a ‘friendly’ opposition does not make for the image of an effective one. I have already heard complaints on how the CAN private bill was handled, an easy win to differentiate us from Labour that has turned into an attack on us from the Greens, while we are yet to see the fruits of the decision taken.

And we can attack Labour smartly, I did this in a letter to young rural voters at the General Election, and while it did have your usual ‘squeeze’ stats messaging, it also included this ‘switch’ message: 

“Labour, in abandoning its flagship climate policy, has demonstrated they will take you for granted. I was shocked recently when I encountered a Labour councillor and prospective parliamentary candidate endorsing a petition that would ban all new drivers under the age of 25 from carrying passengers for a year, and introducing restrictions to your driving activity between midnight and 6 am. Neither Labour nor the Tories understand young people.”

We did not receive complaints about it, but someone who then came to volunteer for the rest of the campaign cited receiving this letter! 

It’s time, especially in our Tory-facing seats, for us to reach out to Labour (and Green!) voters and give them meaningful reasons to switch to us. This not only allows us to gain more long-term support, creating a more sustainable voter base, but it could also develop into new members and activists. I know a few Labour supporters who actively helped us during the general election, wouldn’t it be great if they did this for future elections, especially locals.

If the party wants to win new voters in the long term, it must face Labour.

* Josh Lucas Mitte is Chair of the English Young Liberals and Secretary of London region