Lib Dems receive surge in support from book trade

The Liberal Democrats have received a surge in support from the book trade ahead of the general election on 8th June thanks to the party’s clear stance against Brexit, according to a survey conducted by The Bookseller.

Prime Minister Theresa May announced the general election on Tuesday (18th April), giving the country just eight weeks to decide who to back at the ballot box.

Early responses to an online survey conducted by The Bookseller indicate that 30% of the trade intends to vote for the Liberal Democrats, up from 20% who backed it in the last poll, taken ahead of the May 2015 general election. However, despite the literary community’s swing towards the Lib Dems, Labour still has the backing of the majority, with 38% saying they will vote for the party (down from 46% in 2015). Early results showed the Conservative Party’s popularity had fallen among the trade: it’s backed by just 10%, down from 19% in 2015. Support for the Green Party has plummeted to 6% (from 13%), with the SNP taking 2% of the vote, and UKIP less than 1%.

Altogether, 36% of respondents have changed their voting intention from two years ago. Labour’s failure to contest Brexit and the European Union referendum result, and “disappointment” in the leadership of the party and the level of opposition it is providing, were cited as the main grievances.

The swing may not come as a surprise: 78% of the book trade said they wanted to remain in the EU in a poll run by The Bookseller ahead of the referendum; 18% supported the Leave campaign.

The succession of political upheavals in the past two years has left more than 10% of respondents “undecided” on who to back, up significantly from just 2% ahead of the last general election. More than a third of those surveyed said Brexit had influenced their decision “a lot” , while 19% said it had swayed them “a little”. Thirty-six per cent said it had no bearing on their voting intentions.

The reasons cited for a change in heart in the anonymous survey included: “Labour is incoherent on the EU”; “Labour is not providing enough opposition”; and “[leader Jeremy] Corbyn is hopeless and needs to go.” Another respondent wrote “this will be the first time I’ll not have voted Labour in a general election in my life, and I’ve been voting since 1979”, a view supported by a fellow defector: “I voted Labour because I strongly supported it and was angry with the Lib Dems about its role in the coalition. However, Labour lost me over Brexit and the Lib Dems represent my views best now.”

However, some backed the Labour leader, with views including: “Jeremy Corbyn showcases my own political views more so than any other candidates”; “Labour doesn’t stand a chance without support” ; and “I will vote tactically in order to oppose the Conservative Party”.

Reducing business rates for independent bookshops, lowering VAT on e-books and ensuring big companies to pay “fair tax” were listed high among the issues respondents would most like the next government to tackle, along with more support for the arts and increased funding for schools and libraries.

The results were compiled from a total of 144 people who completed the survey on 19th April, of whom 49% were publishers, 13% authors, 11% booksellers, 3% agents, 3% librarians, 3% distributors and 18% in the “other” category.

Yesterday (19th April) The Bookseller reported the industry was split on whether a general election would be positive or negative for the book trade.