LONDON: Britain’s smaller pro-European parties have announced a “remain” alliance for next month’s general election in which they will step aside for each other in 60 constituencies, covering about 10pc of the seats in parliament.

The aim is to deny a majority to Prime Minister Boris Johnson who plans to take Britain out of the EU if he wins the vote on Dec 12.

The Liberal Democrats, the Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru and the Green Party, along with some independent lawmakers, aim to give a free run to just one “remain” candidate in each constituency.

One of their biggest targets is foreign minister Dominic Raab. The Green Party plans to stand aside for the Liberal Democrat candidate in what polls say may be a closely fought contest in Raab’s affluent constituency southwest of London.

Heidi Allen, a former Conservative lawmaker who joined the Liberal Democrats, said the cross-party alliance was the first in a British national election in more than a century.

The parties “know this general election is the last chance to change the path that this country is currently on,” said Allen, who was involved in organising the pact.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2019