The European Movement's target seat strategy has proven successful as candidates opposing Theresa May's extreme Brexit plans were elected across the country.
In the lead up to the election Stephen Dorrell, Chairman of the European Movement in the UK, issued a statement calling on supporters of all political parties to join with the European Movement alongside Open Britain and Britain for Europe in challenging all candidates to commit themselves publicly to maintain an open mind about the Brexit negotiations and to be willing in principle to support our continued membership of the EU if they believe this is the best way to secure Britain’s national interest.
In the statement he identified a number of key constituencies where either ardent hard Brexit candidates needed to be fought or where Remain candidates needed to be defended against threatening Brexit supporting challengers.
The response was overwhelming.
Thanks to our supporters and and pro-EU voters we collectively secured victory for a swarm of pro-European contenders and a trouncing for hard Brexit challengers. The vast majority of the constituencies identified by the European Movement achieved the desired result, many winning with significant increases in their majorities.
Particularly noteworthy was Peter Kyle's win for Labour in Hove with a 21.8% increase in his majority, as well as Emma Dent Coad taking Kensington from the Tories for the first time since the seat was formed. The return of Lib Dem MPs such as Vince Cable and Ed Davey alongside new faces means that the government's never been in a weaker position to push through a damaging, costly divorce from our European friends.
What has been achieved by the European Movement’s joint campaign in these key constituencies, and demonstrated more generally in the outcome of the election, clearly shows that large swathes of the electorate either already support our continued membership of the EU or at least reject the government's blank-cheque hard-Brexit stance.
The general election is only the beginning of the fightback. Please donate to our crowfunder to help us get the message to every corner of the country that Brexit can be stopped:
Key seat winners:
Constituency
|
Party
|
Candidate
|
Candidate % increase
|
Winning Majority
|
|
Bishop Auckland
|
Labour
|
Helen Goodman
|
6.7
|
502
|
|
Brighton Pavilion
|
Green
|
Caroline Lucas
|
10.4
|
14,689
|
|
Bristol North West
|
Labour
|
Darren Jones
|
16.2
|
4,761
|
|
Carshalton and Wallington
|
Lib Dem
|
Tom Brake
|
6.1
|
1,369
|
|
Eastbourne
|
Lib Dem
|
Stephen Lloyd
|
8.7
|
1,609
|
|
Edinburgh South
|
Labour
|
Ian Murray
|
15.8
|
15,514
|
|
Enfield Southgate
|
Labour
|
Bambos Charalambous
|
12.7
|
4,355
|
|
Exeter
|
Labour
|
Ben Bradshaw
|
15.6
|
16,117
|
|
Gower
|
Labour
|
Tonia Antoniazzi
|
12.8
|
3,269
|
|
Hove
|
Labour
|
Peter Kyle
|
21.8
|
18,757
|
|
Ilford North
|
Labour
|
Wes Streeting
|
13.9
|
9,639
|
|
Kensington
|
Labour
|
Emma Dent Coad
|
11.1
|
20
|
|
Kingston and Surbiton
|
Lib Dem
|
Ed Davey
|
10.3
|
4,124
|
|
Leicester West
|
Labour
|
Liz Kendall
|
14.3
|
11,060
|
|
Newcastle upon Tyne North
|
Labour
|
Catherine McKinnell
|
9.3
|
10,349
|
|
North Norfolk
|
Lib Dem
|
Norman Lamb
|
9.3
|
3,512
|
|
Nottingham South
|
Labour
|
Lilian Greenwood
|
14.7
|
15,162
|
|
Oxford West and Abingdon
|
Lib Dem
|
Layla Moran
|
14.8
|
816
|
|
Penistone and Stocksbridge
|
Labour
|
Angela Smith
|
3.8
|
1,322
|
|
Pontypridd
|
Labour
|
Owen Smith
|
14.3
|
11,448
|
|
Sedgefield
|
Labour
|
Phil Wilson
|
6.2
|
6,059
|
|
Southampton Test
|
Labour
|
Alan Whitehead
|
17.4
|
11,503
|
|
Wakefield
|
Labour
|
Mary Creagh
|
9.4
|
2,176
|
|
Wirral South
|
Labour
|
Alison McGovern
|
9.0
|
8,323
|
|
Wolverhampton South East
|
Labour
|
Pat Mcfadden
|
4.9
|
8,514
|