Liberal Democrats candidate for Mid Dorset and North Poole, Vikki Slade, has vowed to “carry on fighting for a brighter future” after an exit poll predicted poor election results for the party.
Slade, who is also the leader of the BCP Council, said that “at the moment it’s not looking good out there” on election night and she was “really worried about the future”.
“Brexit was the problem. So many people were fed up, they felt it would all disappear if they voted this way. That’s what we heard on the doorsteps,” she said.
Climate change was the biggest issue facing not only the UK but the world, she added.
“If we don’t get the climate emergency under control it’s going to undermine everything we do. The one party who don’t really give a damn about the climate is the one that’s predicted to win. How ridiculous is that?”
She also expressed frustration over the first past the post voting system.
“If we get 15% of the vote and get 3% of the seats, how is that right? At 15% of the vote we should be looking at 70, 80 seats. Our hope was a hung parliament so we could force [proportional representation] through.”
Being a well-regarded leader of the BCP Council didn’t necessarily work in Slade’s favour.
“Some people have said they won’t vote for me because they don’t want to lose me from the council!”
Mid Dorset and North Poole had a 75.02% turnout, equating to 49,081 voters. The results declaration is expected to take place at around 5am.
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