Unite to Remain

Unite to Remain (Welsh: Uno i Aros)^[1] was a campaign and electoral pact during the 2019 United Kingdom general election. It involved three parties that supported remaining in the European Union: the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party of England and Wales, and, in Wales, Plaid Cymru. Its stated goal was to avoid the spoiler effect and maximise the number of MPs elected who would oppose Brexit.

Constituencies covered by the pact, colour-coded by standing party

In 49 constituencies in England and 11 in Wales, the pact led to only one of these parties standing a candidate. Of the 60 constituencies, 43 had Liberal Democrat candidates only, 10 had Green Party candidates only, and 7 had Plaid Cymru candidates only.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} The seats covered by the pact included some defended by a Unite to Remain party, as well as target seats held by the Conservative or Labour parties.

Nine Unite to Remain candidates were elected (5 Liberal Democrats, 3 Plaid Cymru, 1 Green), which represented one gain and one loss compared to the 2017 general election results.

Details

Though there was no formal pact, the August 2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election saw the Greens and Plaid Cymru stand aside for the Liberal Democrat candidate Jane Dodds,^[7] who defeated the Conservative candidate by a small margin.^[8] This arrangement was mooted as being the basis for a wider-ranging "Remain Alliance".^[9]

The Unite to Remain group which brokered the pact was formed by the outgoing MP for South Cambridgeshire, Heidi Allen and former Liberal Democrat Treasurer Peter Dunphy in July 2019.^[10][11] The alliance approached the Labour party at an early stage, but were rebuffed.^[12] The Labour peer Jim Knight was one of the directors of Unite to Remain.^[13] The group was registered as a "non-party campaigner" with the Electoral Commission in November 2019.^[14]

Seats were selected based on a targeted pooling of resources and only with the consent of local parties. ^{[citation needed]} All the parties also support electoral reform.^[12] Liberal Democrat activists in constituencies where their party stood aside were encouraged to either campaign for the Unite to Remain candidate there, or to campaign in a nearby seat.^[15]

On 13 November 2019, Unite to Remain and the Renew Party announced that Renew would not contest any of the 60 Unite to Remain target seats.^[16]

List of constituencies

Incumbents marked in italics did not stand for re-election in that constituency.

Darker rows indicate constituencies where the Unite to Remain party won the previous election (the 2017 general election or the 2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election). The pact also covers three seats where, during the 2017–2019 Parliament, incumbent MPs defected from other parties to the Liberal Democrats.

Constituency	Country	Unite to Remain party		Unite to Remain candidate	Incumbent party		Incumbent	Refs	Result
Arfon	Wales		Plaid Cymru	Hywel Williams		Plaid Cymru	Hywel Williams	[17]	Elected
Bath	England		Liberal Democrats	Wera Hobhouse		Liberal Democrats	Wera Hobhouse		Elected
Bermondsey and Old Southwark	England		Liberal Democrats	Humaira Ali		Labour	Neil Coyle	[18]	Not elected
Brecon and Radnorshire	Wales		Liberal Democrats	Jane Dodds		Liberal Democrats	Jane Dodds	[17]	Not elected
Brighton Pavilion	England		Green	Caroline Lucas		Green	Caroline Lucas	[19]	Elected
Bristol West	England		Green	Carla Denyer		Labour	Thangam Debbonaire	[20]	Not elected
Buckingham	England		Liberal Democrats	Stephen Dorrell		Speaker	John Bercow	[21]	Not elected
Bury St Edmunds	England		Green	Helen Geake		Conservative	Jo Churchill		Not elected
Caerphilly	Wales		Plaid Cymru	Lindsay Whittle		Labour	Wayne David	[22]	Not elected
Cannock Chase	England		Green	Paul Woodhead		Conservative	Amanda Milling		Not elected
Cardiff Central	Wales		Liberal Democrats	Bablin Molik		Labour	Jo Stevens	[17]	Not elected
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr	Wales		Plaid Cymru	Jonathan Edwards		Plaid Cymru	Jonathan Edwards	[17]	Elected
Cheadle	England		Liberal Democrats	Tom Morrison		Conservative	Mary Robinson		Not elected
Chelmsford	England		Liberal Democrats	Marie Goldman		Conservative	Vicky Ford		Not elected
Chelsea and Fulham	England		Liberal Democrats	Nicola Horlick		Conservative	Greg Hands		Not elected
Cheltenham	England		Liberal Democrats	Max Wilkinson		Conservative	Alex Chalk		Not elected
Chippenham	England		Liberal Democrats	Helen Belcher		Conservative	Michelle Donelan		Not elected
Dulwich and West Norwood	England		Green	Jonathan Bartley		Labour	Helen Hayes	[18]	Not elected
Dwyfor Meirionnydd	Wales		Plaid Cymru	Liz Saville Roberts		Plaid Cymru	Liz Saville-Roberts	[17]	Elected
Esher and Walton	England		Liberal Democrats	Monica Harding		Conservative	Dominic Raab		Not elected
Exeter	England		Green	Joe Levy		Labour	Ben Bradshaw	[23]	Not elected
Finchley and Golders Green	England		Liberal Democrats	Luciana Berger		Conservative	Mike Freer		Not elected
Forest of Dean	England		Green	Chris McFarling		Conservative	Mark Harper		Not elected
Guildford	England		Liberal Democrats	Zöe Franklin		Independent won as Conservative	Anne Milton		Not elected
Harrogate and Knaresborough	England		Liberal Democrats	Judith Rogerson		Conservative	Andrew Jones		Not elected
Hazel Grove	England		Liberal Democrats	Lisa Smart		Conservative	William Wragg		Not elected
Hitchin and Harpenden	England		Liberal Democrats	Sam Collins		Conservative	Bim Afolami		Not elected
Isle of Wight	England		Green	Vix Lowthion		Conservative	Bob Seely		Not elected
Llanelli	Wales		Plaid Cymru	Mari Arthur		Labour	Nia Griffith	[22]	Not elected
Montgomeryshire	Wales		Liberal Democrats	Kishan Devani		Conservative	Glyn Davies	[22]	Not elected
North Cornwall	England		Liberal Democrats	Danny Chambers		Conservative	Scott Mann		Not elected
North Norfolk	England		Liberal Democrats	Karen Ward		Liberal Democrats	Norman Lamb		Not elected
Oxford West and Abingdon	England		Liberal Democrats	Layla Moran		Liberal Democrats	Layla Moran		Elected
Penistone and Stocksbridge	England		Liberal Democrats	Hannah Kitching		Liberal Democrats won as Labour	Angela Smith		Not elected
Pontypridd	Wales		Plaid Cymru	Fflur Elin		Labour	Owen Smith	[22]	Not elected
Portsmouth South	England		Liberal Democrats	Gerald Vernon-Jackson		Labour	Stephen Morgan		Not elected
Richmond Park	England		Liberal Democrats	Sarah Olney		Conservative	Zac Goldsmith		Elected
Romsey and Southampton North	England		Liberal Democrats	Craig Fletcher		Conservative	Caroline Nokes		Not elected
Rushcliffe	England		Liberal Democrats	Jason Billin		Independent won as Conservative	Kenneth Clarke		Not elected
Stroud	England		Green	Molly Scott Cato		Labour	David Drew		Not elected
South Cambridgeshire	England		Liberal Democrats	Ian Sollom		Liberal Democrats won as Conservative	Heidi Allen	[24]	Not elected
South East Cambridgeshire	England		Liberal Democrats	Pippa Heylings		Conservative	Lucy Frazer		Not elected
South West Surrey	England		Liberal Democrats	Paul Follows		Conservative	Jeremy Hunt		Not elected
Southport	England		Liberal Democrats	John Wright		Conservative	Damien Moore		Not elected
Taunton Deane	England		Liberal Democrats	Gideon Amos		Conservative	Rebecca Pow		Not elected
Thornbury and Yate	England		Liberal Democrats	Claire Young		Conservative	Luke Hall		Not elected
Totnes	England		Liberal Democrats	Sarah Wollaston		Liberal Democrats won as Conservative	Sarah Wollaston		Not elected
Tunbridge Wells	England		Liberal Democrats	Ben Chapelard		Conservative	Greg Clark		Not elected
Twickenham	England		Liberal Democrats	Munira Wilson		Liberal Democrats	Vince Cable		Elected
Wantage	England		Liberal Democrats	Richard Benwell		Conservative	Ed Vaizey		Not elected
Warrington South	England		Liberal Democrats	Ryan Bate		Labour	Faisal Rashid		Not elected
Westmorland and Lonsdale	England		Liberal Democrats	Tim Farron		Liberal Democrats	Tim Farron		Elected
Watford	England		Liberal Democrats	Ian Stotesbury		Conservative	Richard Harrington		Not elected
Wells	England		Liberal Democrats	Tessa Munt		Conservative	James Heappey		Not elected
Wimbledon	England		Liberal Democrats	Paul Kohler		Conservative	Stephen Hammond		Not elected
Winchester	England		Liberal Democrats	Paula Ferguson		Conservative	Steve Brine		Not elected
Witney	England		Liberal Democrats	Charlotte Hoagland		Conservative	Robert Courts		Not elected
Vale of Glamorgan	Wales		Green	Anthony Slaughter		Conservative	Alun Cairns	[22]	Not elected
York Outer	England		Liberal Democrats	Keith Aspden		Conservative	Julian Sturdy		Not elected
Ynys Môn	Wales		Plaid Cymru	Aled ap Dafydd		Labour	Albert Owen	[22]	Not elected

Pre-election analysis

Psephologist John Curtice stated that the pact could be critical in "half a dozen" seats that could have otherwise been won by the Conservatives.^[25]

An analysis published in the Financial Times attempted to evaluate the potential impact of the pact. This analysis applied uniform regional swing based on polling (as of early November) to the 2017 result to estimate the parties' standings in the seats before the pact, then assumed that voters for parties standing aside would transfer their support as per the pact. The analysis found that in 18 seats the Unite to Remain party would not need the pact in order to win, in 39 the pact would be insufficient to secure victory, and in two (Brecon and Radnorshire and Winchester) the pact would make the critical difference between winning and losing for the Unite to Remain party.^[26]

Other pro-Remain arrangements

In addition to the Unite to Remain pact, the Liberal Democrats did not stand candidates against the following anti-Brexit or "soft Brexit" supporting incumbents:

• Dominic Grieve (independent), Beaconsfield^[27]
• Gavin Shuker (independent), Luton South^[28]
• Anna Soubry (The Independent Group for Change), Broxtowe^[29]

All failed to be elected.

In Canterbury, the original Liberal Democrat candidate (Tim Walker) stood down in aid of the Labour incumbent Rosie Duffield, but the Lib Dems stood a replacement candidate.^[30] Duffield retained her seat.

In Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Green Party in Northern Ireland all stood aside in certain constituencies to increase the chances of anti-Brexit candidates.^[31]

See also

• 2019 United Kingdom general election#Electoral pacts and unilateral decisions

References

1. "Gwil #FBPE #RevokeA50 #UniteToRemain 🚥 🌏 (@Better_Gov) | Twitter". twitter.com.
2. "The Guardian view on the Unite to Remain pact: a response to a failed system | Editorial". The Guardian. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
3. Nixon, Matthew (7 November 2019). "Polling expert John Curtice makes prediction about Remain pact". The New European. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
4. Hymas, Charles (7 November 2019). "Tories seek electoral watchdog inquiry into Remain electoral pact that threatens their seats". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
5. "Unite to Remain agreement". Liberal Democrats. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
6. Proctor, Kate (7 November 2019). "Lib Dems, Greens and Plaid Cymru reveal remain election pact". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
7. Devlin, Kate (4 July 2019). "Remain by-election pact could cut new PM's majority to three". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
8. "'Surely now he has to listen?' Newly-elected MP Jane Dodds says she will challenge PM to take no deal off table". ITV News. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
9. "Hopes grow for General Election 'Remain Alliance' following Brecon and Radnorshire by-election". Left Foot Forward. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
10. "Green Party responds to announcement of formation of Unite for Remain | The Green Party". www.greenparty.org.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
11. Tidey, Alice (7 November 2019). "'Unite to Remain': UK parties form anti-Brexit election pact". euronews. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
12. Rea, Ailbhe (7 November 2019). "A guide to the Remain pact between the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the Greens". New Statesman. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
13. Walker, Peter; Stewart, Heather (6 November 2019). "Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and Greens to launch pro-remain pact". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
14. "View registration – Unite to Remain". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
15. "Unite to Remain agreement". Liberal Democrats. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
16. Allen, Heidi (13 November 2019). "Thank you @RenewParty ! This is what country first politics looks like https://twitter.com/renewparty/status/1194570741410344960 …". @heidiallen75. Retrieved 14 November 2019. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
17. "The seats in Wales that are part of the 'Remain Alliance' pact". ITV News. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
18. Salisbury, Josh (7 November 2019). "General Election 2019: 'Unite to Remain' pact agreed in Bermondsey & Old Southwark and Dulwich & West Norwood". Southwark News. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
19. le Duc, Frank (7 November 2019). "Brighton Pavilion Lib Dem candidate stands down for second election running". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
20. Cork, Tristan; Rogers, Alexandra (7 November 2019). "Lib Dems will not field a candidate in Bristol West". Bristol Post. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
21. Dean, Sam (7 November 2019). "Liberal Democrat candidate 'grateful' The Green Party is stepping aside in Buckingham". Buckingham Today. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
22. "The seats in Wales that are part of the 'Remain Alliance' pact". ITV News. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
23. Lloyd, Howard (7 November 2019). "Liberal Democrats reveal they will not contest Exeter at general election". Devon Live. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
24. Gardner, Gemma (7 November 2019). "General Election 2019: Green Party step aside for Liberal Democrats in Unite to Remain agreement". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
25. Nixon, Matthew. "Polling expert John Curtice makes prediction about Remain pact". The New European. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
26. Payne, Sebastian; Stabe, Martin (7 November 2019). "Three anti-Brexit parties launch election pact in 60 seats". Financial Times. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
27. Jones, Amy (30 October 2019). "Lib Dems will stand aside for Dominic Grieve, as polling predicts a Boris Johnson majority". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
28. "Luton Liberal Democrats Put Country Before Party By Standing Down In Luton South For Pro-Remain Independent – Luton Liberal Democrats". www.lutonlibdems.org.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
29. Sandeman, Kit (7 November 2019). "Lib Dems will not stand in Broxtowe against Anna Soubry, party confirms". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
30. Francis, Paul (13 November 2019). "General Election 2019: Liberal Democrats line up new candidate Claire Malcolmson to replace Tim Walker in Canterbury". Kent Online. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
31. Rory Carroll (4 November 2019). "Sinn Féin to stand aside for remain candidates in three constituencies". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2019.

External links

• Official website (Archived site, 13 December 2019)