The current polling shows that 53% would be willing to vote tactically. This is higher than in 2017 where 47% said they would be willing to vote tactically. Voting tactically for students could mean choosing which seat to vote in or backing a candidate more likely to win- even if that candidate wouldn’t have been their first choice.
According to HEPI 70% of student voters want another referendum while 75% expect Brexit to have a negative impact on their future. A total 71% of all students said that Brexit would have an influence on their voting.
This could see a rise in support for remain parties such as the Liberal Democrats- who’s main policy for the upcoming general election is to stop Brexit by revoking Article 50. Whereas, the Labour party and Conservative party could see a drop in support among students.
History and Politics student Ben Mayman said that people are more likely to vote to keep a certain party out, rather than because they actually believe in a particular policy: “Speaking to a lot of my friends who are living in other parts of the country there seems to be an element of lets either vote Conservative to avoid Corbyn or vice-versa.
"People nowadays are voting for who they want to keep out and will vote at any cost to achieve this.”
Despite not having a clear policy on Brexit according to some voters, Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour could see a rise in votes due to their promise to get rid of tuition fees. The Conservative party too may lose voters over Brexit as Boris Johnson has been unwavering in his commitment to deliver Brexit, whatever it takes
Newcastle has traditionally been a Labour stronghold across most of its constituencies. While this is unlikely to change, the student vote could see more left-wing students opt to vote for the Liberal Democrats, rather than Labour, due to their stance against Brexit.
The student vote will supposedly be key in areas where the students make up a large majority of the population. Seats such as Canterbury, Bath, Oxford West and Abingdon are said to be the key areas where the student vote could make a big difference.
The impact this will have on Newcastle at the moment is unclear. However, it can be argued that students from the cities universities may play a key part deciding the next leader of the country.
