Leafy, riverside Putney presents one of the most interesting microcosms in this General Election. It’s an affluent constituency which the Conservatives have held since it was won from Labour by Justine Greening in 2005, but which voted 72% remain in 2016 and voted Lib Dem in the recent European elections.
The well-liked Greening is not standing again this time, and for Labour this represents one of the top target seats in London with only 1,500 more votes needed to overhaul the Tory majority. But the big complicating factor, as elsewhere in London, is the Lib Dems. Despite only polling 12% here in the last general election, the Party is pushing hard for the seat, and appear to be gaining ground amongst an electorate who equally oppose Brexit and fear Corbyn’s brand of Labour.
The Labour candidate, Fleur Anderson, insists she is “anti-Corbyn” but the feeling on the ground in the seat is that this may not be enough to save her, and that the real battle is a Tory versus Lib Dem one. If the Conservatives can manage to cling on here, against all expectations a few weeks ago, it’s a sure sign that Boris Johnson will be heading back to No 10 on 13 December.
