Lib Dems target ‘blue wall’ Tory voters angry about NHS crisis

Nurses hold placards in support of fair pay and the NHS during the demonstration outside University College Hospital in London last week. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/Sopa Images/Rex/Shutterstock

A “blue wall” offensive focusing on the NHS is being plotted by the Liberal Democrats this weekend, amid mounting evidence that the Conservative brand has been significantly damaged among crucial voters in traditional Tory seats.

Lib Dem campaigners charged with securing a breakthrough in seats in the south-east are gathering in a Staffordshire hotel this weekend, as all the parties begin to sketch out their early general election planning. The group will be told that the usual tactic of targeting liberal Tory voters in affluent areas with messages about the economy will be dialled down, after the NHS crisis was found to be resonating significantly in these areas.