Vorderman and Coogan slammed for 'tactical voting' pleas as they vow to use Lib Dems to topple Tories
Carol Vorderman has urged her fans to vote 'tactically' at the next election
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Carol Vorderman and Steve Coogan both recorded messages for the Liberal Democrats party conference this week in which they vowed to vote for their local Lib Dem candidate.
The two both called for their online followers to follow suit and vote tactically at the next election in an attempt to ensure Conservative candidates are deprived of winning any seats.
Instead of voters ticking the box of the candidate they deem more suitable for the role, Vorderman and Coogan instead want people to simply vote for the one who looks more likely to surpass the Tory candidate when it comes to the number of votes.
The pair have also bemoaned the current voting system in the UK, urging for proportional representation to be rolled out instead.
Proportional representation is, according to the government's own definition on its site, "an electoral system in which the distribution of seats corresponds closely with the proportion of the total votes cast for each party".
Vorderman shared both her piece to the camera and Coogan's - which were both played at the Lib Dem conference - onto her Twitter page this week.
Steve Coogan is also voting Lib Dems to try and take out the Tory candidate
PA
Lauding Coogan's participation, the former Countdown star typed: "Steve Coogan's piece last night for @LibDems conference saying he would normally vote Labour but will be campaigning with the @LibDems candidate in Lewes to help topple Tory @mariacaulfield
"I sincerely hope they succeed. Tactical voting at the next GE," she added alongside the clip.
She also shared her own video message and accompanied it with the tweet: "TACTICAL VOTING ...a piece for @LibDems conference last night.
"In 2019 using first past the post, 22 million votes were put in the bin (those whose vote went to a candidate who didn't win that seat).
"I want some form of PR for future generations. I don't belong to any party, I'm just after a fairer system than the one we have now, which has given us the most divisive and appalling govt in modern history.
"Join us at Stop The Tories. (Ps excuse tiredness, recorded when I was poorly)," she signed off, alluding to her appearance.
In her video message, Vorderman rolled out her typical criticsm of the government as she stated: "Our voting system is nonsense.
"I have never seen anything this morally bankrupt and corrupt in my lifetime," she also complained and said elsewhere in the clip: "I could often cry when I see the manipulation of the system to take from the poor and give to the already rich. I lived it. I grew up in it."
Laying out the ideal outcome, she also mentioned: "Our ideal scenario is that we reduce that party so much that they wouldn't even be able to form the opposition."
Vorderman and Coogan's message inevitably went down a storm with many of their followers online, but several other members of the public weren't as pleased with their pleas.
Many called out the hypocrisy of the celebrities' virtue signalling while pointing out that the likes of Labour have never agreed to a proportional representation voting system in the first place.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
TACTICAL VOTING ...a piece for @LibDems conference last night.
— Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) September 24, 2023
In 2019 using first past the post, 22 million votes were put in the bin (those whose vote went to a candidate who didn't win that seat).
I want some form of PR for future generations
I don't belong to any party,… pic.twitter.com/AkNay18k42
One user fumed: "Carol says she's wants PR. Carol tells us to elect a Labour majority with tactical voting. Carol doesn't mention that Labour will keep the Tory voting system, and will never give us PR. Don't be like Carol."
While a second pointed out: "When has Keir Starmer said he’s committed to Proportional Representation? PR will not happen if there is a Labour majority."
Elsewhere, a third quipped: "Just when Lib Dem’s thought things were looking up, these two clowns appeared."
And a fourth suggested: "2-3 years from now, Carol Vorderman and Steve Coogan will be throwing their toys out, saying how useless the Labour/ Coalition government is. Be warned."
"How can anyone support a party that wanted to reverse a democratic vote, mind-blowing," a fifth raged as they referred to the Lib Dem's stance on Brexit. (sic)
Vorderman is no stranger to taking aim at the government in furious tweets online, just last week blasting Rishi Sunak for "lying".
While Vorderman is best known for her stint on Countdown, Coogan is an actor best-known for bringing the comedy character Alan Partridge to life.
He'll also take on the role of Jimmy Savile in the BBC's upcoming series about the presenter's heinous actions, titled The Reckoning.