
Theresa May is facing war on two fronts in the looming election - with Labour's Brexit heartlands ripe for raids while she fends off resurgent Liberal Democrats in Remain supporting areas.

The shape of the battleground on June 8 is laid bare in a map showing the potential for huge gains from Jeremy Corbyn's ailing party across the midlands and the north.

But the Conservatives are deeply worried about the threat from the Lib Dems, who have taken a hard line by pledging to reverse the historic vote to leave the EU.

Mrs May could hope to sweep up as many as 70 Labour seats if her lead is the 20 per cent plus indicated by polls.

Polls show that Theresa May is set to return after June's election with a majority of more than 100. But the Conservatives are vulnerable to the Lib Dems in several areas of the country

Targets will include Brexit supporting Stoke on Trent South, Halifax and Middlesbrough South.

Labour MP John Woodcock, defending a narrow majority in Barrow and Furness, said last night that he could not bring himself to vote for Mr Corbyn to become PM. Neighbouring Copeland fell to the Tories at a by-election in February.

Gains will be crucial for Mrs May as she faces a different battle in a clutch of seats won by David Cameron in 2015 from the Lib Dems.

Two years ago the Tories pulled off shock wins in Twickenham and Richmond in leafy west London, and Lewes and St Ives in Cornwall.

CLEGG REVEALS HE WILL RUN AGAIN Nick Clegg has ended speculation about his political future by confirming he will stand for re-election. The ex-Liberal Democrat leader was one of just eight survivors after his party's mauling in 2015 and there was doubt about whether he would seek to continue as an MP. But following Theresa May's decision to go to the country this year Mr Clegg confirmed he would fight to retain his Sheffield Hallam seat in order to oppose the Conservative Party's 'damaging approach to Brexit'. He said: 'Theresa May has called a general election out of opportunism and intolerance: opportunism in seeking to exploit the weakness of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour party; and intolerance in seeking a landslide majority to bring about 'unity'.' Advertisement

All four were snatched from the Liberal Democrats and Mrs May will have to fight a different battle to keep hold of them.

The gulf between Conservative and Labour in the polls means that for the first time since 1997, scores of constituencies are in play rather than just a handful of marginal swing seats.

Elections expert Professor John Curtice suggested the Prime Minister would need a lead of greater than 10 points to get the large government majority she wants to make her task of delivering a successful Brexit easier.

Three knights from the Coalition era are among the former MPs seeking to make a comeback when the nation goes to the polls.

Veterans Sir Vince Cable, Sir Ed Davey and Sir Simon Hughes all lost their seats in London in 2015 when the Lib Dems were reduced to just eight MPs.

They will be hopeful that Sarah Olney's success in the Richmond Park by-election last year is a sign the party is bouncing back in the capital. Her victory took the party up to nine MPs.

Mrs May, who has a fragile working majority of just 17 in the Commons, said she wants 'unity' at Westminster as talks on Brexit begin in earnest with the European Union.

The Tories currently lead Labour by an average of 17 points in opinion polls, which Prof Curtice acknowledged would be enough to secure a landslide on June 8.

But he said that with the SNP expected to win the majority of Scottish seats, putting the nation 'out of the game' in terms of forming a government, it has become a lot harder to win a large Commons majority.

Theresa May rocked Westminster yesterday by announcing that she will hold a general election on June 8

Jeremy Corbyn has been facing dire poll ratings for months with fears his party could lose a third of its MPs

Last time around, the Conservatives won the 2015 General Election by picking up a handful of Labour seats in Wales and the Midlands and destroying the Liberal Democrats in the South West and London.

The election turned on Nuneaton, in Warwickshire, a bell weather seat Labour had to win if it was to beat David Cameron's Conservatives.

Conservative Marcus Jones not only won the seat but increased the Tory majority, the surest sign on the night David Cameron was on course for an improbably win.

This time, Labour MPs will be hoping to cling on against a Tory surge. Polling suggests around 70 of them could expect to lose their seats.

The losses would be reminiscent of the SNP landslide in 2015 when Labour seats with huge majorities were swept away.

Within hours of the PM's announcement, membership of the party surged by thousands. Leader Tim Farron declared that the poll was a chance for voters to avert a 'disastrous' Brexit.

He hailed it as a 'chance to change the direction of the country' and vowed to campaign to keep Britain in the single market.

The unashamedly pro-European party hopes to walk back into some of the 49 seats it lost to both Labour and the Tories in the bloodbath of 2015.

However, Lib Dem sources refused to say definitively how many seats they hoped to win.

Nick Clegg, who resigned as leader after the humiliating defeat, will stand again to defend his seat in Sheffield Hallam, insiders said.

Some 50 per cent of those Lib Dems who stood in 2015 and lost have been re-selected to stand again. Sir Vince, 73, will make a political comeback after he lost his seat in Twickenham as the Tories swept to victory.

Sir Vince Cable lost his seat, which had been considered safe, to Tory candidate Tania Mathias in 2015 general election, losing his place in the cabinet in the process

Sir Ed Davey (left) and Sir Simon Hughes (right) also lost their seats in 2015 when the party was reduced to just eight MPs

The former Business Secretary, who held the seat from 1997 to 2015, will stand against Tory MP Tania Mathias.

Sir Simon, who was an MP from 1983 to 2015, will stand in his former constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark.

The former deputy leader will challenge Labour MP Neil Coyle in the south-east London seat. Sir Simon, 65, said the Liberal Democrats had 'as good a chance of winning again as we ever had'.

He claimed that Labour MPs are focused on 'fighting internal battles' within their party. Former Energy Secretary Sir Ed, 51, hopes to reclaim his former seat in Kingston and Surbiton from Conservative James Berry.

Mr Farron said: 'Bring this election on. The fightback starts here. This election is your chance to change the direction of our country.' Striking an optimistic tone, he insisted that only his party could prevent a Tory majority.

Mr Farron said: 'Labour won't win any seats off the Conservatives. The SNP could only possibly win one seat off the Conservatives.

'But there are dozens of Conservative seats where the Lib Dems are the challengers.'

Within hours of the yesterday's announcement, membership of the party surged by thousands. Leader Tim Farron (pictured) declared that the poll was a chance for voters to avert a 'disastrous' Brexit