Lib Dems say North Shropshire by-election is now ‘coin toss’ as Labour denies giving up

Keir Starmer’s party denies making ‘gentleman’s agreement’ to give liberals a clear run

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey (Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Wire)

The North Shropshire by-election is now a “coin toss” between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, Ed Davey has claimed.

Speaking on the eve of the contest, the Lib Dem leader urged Labour and Green voters to “lend us their support” to defeat Boris Johnson’s party by backing their candidate Helen Morgan.

It comes after Labour denied there was a “gentleman’s agreement” with the Liberals to dial back campaigning and give Mr Davey’s party a free run.

The Lib Dems are widely seen as the challenger in the usually safe Tory seat despite coming third last time – and have swamped the contest with activists from around the country.

Helen Morgan of the Liberal Democrats (Getty Images)

Asked whether they had dialled back campaigning to increase the chances of Tory candidate Neil Shastri-Hurst being defeated, a Labour spokesperson said: “You had Angela Rayner there yesterday, you’ve got two members of the shadow cabinet there, at least, today that I’ve already seen on social media are there, they're campaigning.

“We’ve got a brilliant local candidate in Ben Wood and we’ve run a focused campaign there, and I think what’s clear is that Boris Johnson’s incompetence and broken promises is what’s coming up repeatedly on the doorstep.”

Asked how confident the party was of its chance, the Labour spokesperson added: “There’s only 24 hours to wait, so let’s wait and see what the result is.”

Some critics of the government want non-Conservative parties to team up, or at least cooperate more in a bid to oust the Tories – but such efforts have rarely got off the ground.

Speaking on the eve of the contest, Mr Davey said: “This crucial by-election is now a coin toss between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

“Throughout this campaign, lifelong Conservative voters have told us they are switching to the Liberal Democrats because they are tired of being taken for granted by Boris Johnson.

“People in North Shropshire and around the country deserve a fair deal where everyone plays by the same rules – including those in Downing Street.

“We know that every vote today will count, and that the future direction of the country is at stake. If Labour and Green voters lend us their support, we can deal a hammer blow to Boris Johnson and tell him that the party is over.”

The contest was triggered by the resignation of former MP Owen Paterson following a row over his second job.