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Canvassing on the road to Clacton pier
Beating Farage at the ballot box should be a top priority for the labour movement, argues CHARLEY ALLAN
A general view inside the Princes Theatre in Clacton, where Reform UK leader Nigel Farage met members of the public while on the general election campaign trail

DURING this general election campaign, I’ve been lucky to travel across the country — from Luton to Leeds, Blackburn to Bedlington — knocking on doors for excellent socialist Labour candidates.

But less than a week before polling day, it looks like “the only way is Clacton” — to coin a phrase — with the Essex seaside town now on the front line in the fight against the far right.

Nationally, the Tory vote continues to crater, haemorrhaging both to Reform and “abstain,” with some support shifting directly to Labour, which seems to be steadily winning over the “don’t knows” — meaning most sitting Labour MPs are likely to be re-elected amid a predicted landslide.

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