The question of tactical voting has been posed more urgently at this election than at any for decades. This is hardly surprising, given the sudden fragmentation of the electorate earlier this year into a four-and-a-half-party system, with the Brexit Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party challenging the temporary dominance of Conservatives and Labour which emerged at the 2017 election.

As we report today, one voter in three is prepared to cast a vote to try to stop an outcome they dislike, although most people would still rather vote positively for a party they support. The BMG poll for The Independent suggests that tactical voting really could decide not just the outcome of the election but whether the UK will finally leave the EU.