Labour has classes Lib Dem MP Ed Davey's seat as a 'non-battleground' for the party ahead of the next General Election.

In a recent communication to its members, the Labour Party has announced it will not seriously contest the constituency of Ed Davey MP at the next election.  

Liberal Democrat MP for Kingston and Surbiton, Ed Davey said: "It's clear that Kingston and Surbiton will once again be a two horse race between the Liberal Democrats and a desperately out of touch Conservative party at the next election. Even Labour have now admitted they cannot win here."

Local parties including Kingston Labour, Greens and Kingston Independent Residents Group have rebutted* Davey's claim.

At the last election, the Liberal Democrats' Ed Davey beat the Conservative Party while Labour trailed behind in third place. The news from Labour means the next election will again be a straight fight between the Liberal Democrats and Conservative party.  

Labour did not win a single councillor in the local elections last year and have never come higher than third since Kingston and Surbiton was created. 

Ed Davey added: "The Conservative party is too busy fighting amongst themselves to govern this country. They have failed our NHS, allowed the dumping of filthy sewage into our rivers and failed to help people with the cost of living crisis. 

"Enough is enough. It is high time we kicked this failing government out of office and people in Kingston and Surbiton know that the only way to do that here is to vote Liberal Democrat." 

Currently holding 15 seats in parliament, only six other Lib Dem constituencies were on the list, including: Twickenham, Richmond Park, Oxford West and Abingdon, St Albans, as well as Bath. 

In a meeting with Nub News, Ed Davey confirmed the communication is "not an agreement at all" but "Labour is just so far behind it just knows it is not going to win." 

*More to follow…