EARLIER in the 2019 general election campaign, Dr Phillip Lee received two celebrity endorsements. Now, on the eve of polling day, he has received the backing of two political big beasts.
Ken Clarke, the former Conservative Chancellor, and Michael Heseltine, who was deputy prime minister under John Major, have both given their support to the Lib Dem candidate for Wokingham ahead of tomorrow’s vote.
“Phillip has been an outstanding parliamentarian and over recent years he has shown true courage and integrity,” writes Mr Clarke, adding: “I have no hesitation in endorsing him as the right person to represent the Wokingham constituency.”
And Mr Heseltine said: “Phillip Lee has consistently put the interest of the country and his constituency before his own. If I were a Wokingham constituent I would unhesitatingly vote for Phillip Lee.”
Dr Lee was delighted to receive their support, which comes after Tony Blair’s spin doctor Alistair Campbell and football commentator Clive Tyldesley expressed their support for his Wokingham campaign.
“Ken Clarke and Michael Heseltine are much respected former Conservative cabinet ministers,” Dr Lee told The Wokingham Paper. “Both have decades of experience at the top of politics. To have been personally endorsed by them to be the Wokingham constituency’s next MP is humbling.”
Their support follows a trend of celebrities and political grandees lending support to campaigners.
Rachel Eden, the Labour candidate for Reading West, received a visit from actor Hugh Grant on Monday. The pair knocked on doors around Reading’s Oxford Road area.
And yesterday, the actor Tom Hollander shared a video where he revealed he had been out canvassing for the first time in support of Lib Dem candidate Sam Gyimah.
It also comes as polling company YouGov released its final MRP poll of the campaign – one that looks at a constituency level – which suggests that the race for Wokingham really is neck and neck between the Conservative and the Liberal Democrats.
YouGov predicted the Conservative share of the vote to be 46%, but could be between 37% and 55%, while the Lib Dem vote share is estimated at 41%, with a high of 50% and a low of 32%.
Labour’s share is estimated to be 9%, but could be as low as 4% and as high as 15%, the Greens could be between 0% and 6% and Advance Together could be between 0% and 5%.
The figures came from YouGov conducting 105,612 interviews across the country over the seven days from Wednesday, December 4 through to Tuesday, December 10.
Standing in Wokingham constituency in this general election are:
- Kizzi Johannessen, Green Party
- Dr Phillip Lee, Lib Dems
- Dr Annette Medhurst, Labour
- Annabel Mullin, Advance Together
- Sir John Redwood, Conservatives
