A TACTICAL voting group says only Vikki Slade can beat the Conservatives in Mid Dorset and North Poole.

The campaign group Best for Britain has released its tactical voting recommendations ahead of polling day on July 4 and has said Vikki Slade is best placed to beat the Conservatives in Mid Dorset and North Poole.

This new vote of confidence comes as a poll from Survation has projected that the Liberal Democrats are at the heels of the Conservative Party and are "poised to overtake them."

Leader of BCP Council and Liberal Democrat candidate for Mid Dorset and North Poole, Vikki Slade, said: "This election is neck and neck for us here between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservative Party.

"The momentum is with us, but we can only win if more people vote tactically to beat the Conservatives.

"Many people have said they're already voting tactically for the Lib Dems, now tactical voting leaders Best for Britain are saying that the Labour Party is out of the race and can't win here."

Best for Britain has said they believe Vikki Slade is the "clear favourite" to beat the Conservatives and has recommended people vote for the Lib Dems tactically at the general election on July 4, 2024.

The Liberal Democrats say they are 'picking up momentum' in the campaign, with Vikki Slade campaigning for action on the cost-of-living crisis, improving our local NHS and to end the sewage scandal.

Vikki Slade added: "After years of people struggling to find an NHS dentist, soaring prices in the shops, and our rivers being polluted by filthy sewage, people finally have the once-in-a-generation chance to vote for change here in Mid Dorset and North Poole."

At this election, the Liberal Democrats are looking to win seats across the so-called 'Blue Wall', as lifelong Conservative voters desert Rishi Sunak's party in their droves as the campaign continues.

Speaking to the Echo last week Michael Tomlinson, Conservative candidate for MDNP, was asked why residents should vote for him over Vikki Slade. He replied: "It's a straight fight; only one of two people are going to be Prime Minister at the end of the day and that's Keir Starmer or Rishi Sunak. 

"And we both work with Rishi. We know his eye for detail, and we know what's important for this country in terms of the economy and inflation falling."