Former Tory chancellor George Osborne says he might vote for Liberal Democrats

George Osborne has said he is considering voting for the Liberal Democrats next month, becoming the latest former Conservative MP to indicate he may not vote for Boris Johnson’s party in the general election.

The ex-chancellor, who now edits the Evening Standard newspaper, said he was weighing casting his ballot for Sam Gyimah, the Lib Dem candidate for Kensington who he served alongside under David Cameron.

“I like Sam. He’s bright and sensible. So do I vote for him, or for the party that – however wayward it’s become – gave me incredible opportunities for 20 years? We’ll see, but old habits die hard,” he wrote in a column for the Spectator magazine.

Mr Osborne’s tenure as chancellor ended in July 2016 after six years in the post, including in coalition with the Lib Dems, with whom he pushed through austerity policies.

He later stood down as MP for Tatton in May 2017 to edit London’s flagship paper.

Labour made a surprise gain in Kensington in 2017, narrowly ousting the Tories, who had held it effectively since its creation.

Jeremy Corbyn’s party is hoping to hold the seat again this year, but a constituency poll conducted by Deltapoll suggests the Tories would regain it if enough voters switch to the Lib Dems.

Mr Osborne could join several other former Tory MPs who have said they will support the Lib Dems.

Matthew Parris, who was Conservative MP for West Derbyshire from 1979 to 1986, has said he would vote for the Remain-backing party “to defeat Tory zealotry over Europe”.

Earlier this year, Tory peer Lord Heseltine voted for the Lib Dems in the European elections, an act he described as a “matter of conscience”. He has not yet commented on which way he will vote on 12 December.

National polls currently suggest the Tories are on course for a majority, with less than a month to go until election day.