The Herald talks to Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and Stratford candidate Manuela Perteghella
You’re back on the Stratford patch, your third visit recently, is that an indication of your optimism that you can win the seat?
Ed: I love coming to Stratford, but let’s be honest, we’re here because we think we can win. It’s going to be quite close between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, but we think we’re getting our noses just ahead, so it could come down to the wire. I would urge people who want to see change in Stratford to come and vote for Manuela. It would be seismic.
Interestingly, we are finding people that always voted Conservative switching to us this time. So yes, I’m here because I think we can win.
What’s the vibe like on the doorstep?
Manuela: There has been a lot of good wishes and a keen desire to see us winning the parliamentary seat here. I think people are ready for a fresh start, for a change. I tell them, give me a chance, and, if you don’t like me, after four years, you can kick me out – that’s democracy.
More and more people are coming to us. There are lifelong Conservative voters telling me that this time they are entrusting their votes to me, and I’m very humbled by that.
I also want to thank all the Labour and Green supporters who are lending me the vote this time. I will not let them down.
Polls such as YouGov show Lib Dems ahead at the moment. Is it the case that you are winning it, or just that the Tories have lost it?
Ed: What we’re finding across the country is, yes, there are people coming to us because they just want to get rid of Conservatives. That’s true, we’re not going to pretend otherwise. However, the more they hear our message, whether it’s nationally or locally, they’re actually voting for us for positive reasons as well.
A gentleman stopped me earlier today and said he’s going to vote Liberal Democrat for the first time in his life. Partly because he wants the Conservatives out but actually he’d read our manifesto and liked our ideas, what we’re saying on health and social care. He saw us as more ambitious than the others and more rigorous in how we’re putting forward our policies. I’m very grateful for that sort of reaction – both a positive reason as well as because they want to get rid of the Conservatives.
Manuela: People are ready for a local champion, not candidates like Seyi Agboola and Chris Clarkson who have been parachuted in. Voters appreciate my local engagement, and that I’m one of them: a resident and parent who is an active member of the Stratford community.
What do you think of the national campaigns?
Ed: What we’ve tried to do with our campaign is be more positive and hopeful and put forward things that actually could transform our country for the better. We address issues that people have been worried about the most, from cost of living, the health service to our broken political system.
We’ve tried to do it in a fun way as well, but with serious messages too. We’ve tried to be positive and engage and have a bit of humour, a bit of emotion. When I talked about my own background as a carer, I think that’s meant a lot to many people who care for loved ones themselves.
While we’ve fought a positive campaign, I’ve been a little bit worried about the debates we’ve had from some of the other parties. It’s been all a bit negative and a bit tacky, a bit divisive. We’ve just tried to stay positive.
Have you any predictions for Thursday?
Ed: I’m genuinely excited. I think we could do a lot better than expected in the Tory heartlands. Stratford’s what I call a Blue Wall seat – one that the Conservatives took for granted. I’m not making a prediction, but there’s a real chance that Liberal Democrats could be the surprise of the election.
