Lib Dems target the Blue Wall by playing upon mortgage fears

THE Liberal Democrats are to launch attack adverts in Blue Wall seats targeting homeowners’ fears of rising mortgage payments following the miniBudget, The Sunday Telegraph can disclose.

The adverts – which will be on social media and pushed through letter boxes – are being used after analysis by the Lib Dems suggested that traditional Conservative heartlands in the Home Counties will be among those hardest hit by higher interest rates.

It forms part of an effort by the party to pile pressure on electorally vulnerable Tory MPs to rebel against measures such as the scrapping of the 45p additional rate of income tax.

According to the analysis, eight of the 10 areas in England with the highest proportion of mortgage holders are in the Home Counties, including blue-wall battlegrounds where the Lib Dems pose the main threat to Tory incumbents.

The Berkshire local authority areas of Bracknell Forest and Wokingham have the highest proportion of mortgage holders in the country.

In Bracknell Forest, 37.2 per cent of dwellings were owned with a mortgage in 2020, and 37 per cent of Wokingham homes were owned with a mortgage.

Wokingham has been represented since 1987 by the Tory backbencher, Sir John Redwood, who is a vocal supporter of Liz Truss’s tax cutting policies.

His majority fell from 18,798 in 2017 to 7,383 in 2019, with the Lib Dems in second place.

Surrey is also among the counties with a high proportion of mortgage holders. Michael Gove’s Surrey Heath seat is in the top 10 areas for the highest rate (35 per cent).

The Lib Dems’ campaign will target constituencies such as Wokingham, Guildford in Surrey, Hitchin and Harpenden in Hertfordshire, and Cheadle, Greater Manchester.

In Guildford, Angela Richardson had a 3,337 majority over the Lib Dems at the last election. Hitchin and Harpenden is represented by Bim Afolami with a 6,895 majority, and Cheadle by Mary Robinson, who has a 2,336 majority.

However, Tory MPs could be insulated from some of the political pressure because of the support they enjoy from owners who have paid off their mortgages. It has been estimated that nearly half of Tory voters at the last election owned their home outright.