Chris Jones

You may dislike the current incarnation of Labour and deplore their Brexit position. You may believe that one Tory MP more or less makes no real difference when we're facing a Labour landslide. Wrong, wrong, wrong. The huge prize at this election is the Tories coming THIRD. That would change absolutely everything. It's the difference between them biding their time until they can regroup, and being finished forever as a political force. Here's what they would lose by finishing up behind the LibDems: - 6 questions at PMQs every week - Automatic media coverage - 17 Opposition Days when they get to set the agenda and hold votes - First right to reply to key speeches like the King's Speech and the Budget - A lot of their Short Money - The right to form a Shadow Cabinet (other parties can mirror government functions but nobody really cares) as a government in waiting - Chairs of several Select Committees - Privy Council membership for senior figures - Office of the Leader of the Opposition, with additional resources, funding and staff As you can imagine, without any of that good stuff to fall back on, the path to rebuilding would be a vertical cliff. That's why it's essential to vote tactically to get the Tories out, no matter what you feel about the current incarnation of Labour. (Personally I'm furious about their views on Brexit and other issues.) The chance will never come again to wipe them out for good. Literally never. We will never see the perfect storm of factors converge again: - 14 years of Conservative rule, marked by growing public discontent - A string of mismanagement issues, from the PPE scandal to Brexit complications - The rise of Reform UK, splitting the traditional Conservative vote and the perfect protest vote for people who would never vote Labour, LibDem or Green - A resurgent Liberal Democrat party - An astonishingly poor Conservative election campaign And with the LibDems in Opposition, the topic of Brexit will finally get a proper and frequent airing. That will advance the cause of Rejoin more than any other action possibly could. So hold your nose. Look past your frustration, your distaste, your anger, your apathy. And vote for whichever party can beat the Tories in your constituency. Eyes on the prize. Always. Eyes on the prize.