NEW: Serious unrest in Canterbury Lib Dems over national party’s decision to find a candidate to replace @ThatTimWalker, who stood down to give @RosieDuffield1 a chance to unite the Remain vote and beat the Conservatives. 1/
A senior Lib Dem source in the local party tells me members had a vote amongst themselves, deciding not to field a candidate, but this was overruled by HQ. So @ThatTimWalker was selected, subsequently receiving “animosity and vitriol” from local members. 2/
Deadline to select a new candidate is Thursday. There are four local Lib Dems who are approved candidates but not a single one is willing to stand. So the national party would have to impose a candidate on Canterbury from outside. I’m told “they wouldn’t get a warm welcome”. 3/
Understand most members simply won’t go out and campaign for a new Lib Dem candidate. So who on earth would want to stand?! It’s possible there’s no candidate, or just paper one. “Canterbury does not want the Tories to get in again”, says my source, “so we’re backing Rosie”. 4/
All of this points to the mess the Remain alliance is in. In failing to team up with Labour Remainers, local campaigners from Lib Dems and probably from Greens/Plaid feel torn. 5/
