David Gauke has welcomed the People’s Vote recommendation for people to vote for him in the General Election.

The campaign group said on its website that within South West Hertfordshire, Mr Gauke “is best placed to win in your constituency”.

Mr Gauke will stand as an independent candidate in the election after he was sacked from the Conservatives when he voted to block a no-deal Brexit.

Speaking about the People’s Vote recommendation, he said: “I’m really pleased that People’s Vote have recommended that Remain supporters and those who want to avoid a No Deal Brexit back me in South West Hertfordshire.

“This means that now all three of the major tactical voting sites have urged voters in South West Herts to lend me their support so I can fight for them in Westminster, helping to bring about a confirmatory referendum and campaigning for Remain.”

However, Labour candidate for South West Herts Ali Aklakul said Mr Gauke “voted for Theresa May’s and Boris Johnson’s Brexit deals every chance he got”.

He continued: “He also voted against EU nationals’ right to remain in the country. His actions give cause to doubt his sincerity on this issue. Only a Labour government can challenge Johnson’s hard-line Brexit.

“Mr Gauke’s attempt to reinvent himself flies in the face of his previous actions as a Conservative Govt Minister who presided over the Legal and Prison Service as well as enacting ideological cuts and making tax-deals with multi-national corporations in his time in the Treasury. You can’t beat the Tories by voting for a Tory.”

Mr Aklakul added: “But this election is about more than Brexit – our crumbling public services, the NHS on its knees and our climate in crisis are issues that also need to be taken on by the next Government.”

Meanwhile Sally Symington, who will stand for the Liberal Democrat’s in South West Herts, said her party has been fighting for a People’s Vote for three and a half years and Mr Gauke had voted four times for the Withdrawal Agreement.

She continued: “The Britain Elects poll shows the Tories currently on 50% in South West Herts and the balance of the votes divided + or - 2% between the Lib Dems, Labour and the Independent. Voters need to look to a candidate they trust to deliver not just on Brexit but in tackling all the challenges facing Britain today.

“The Liberal Democrats offer a Remain candidate with a progressive manifesto committed to tacking the Climate Emergency and delivering a fairer economy.”

Green Party candidate for the area Tom Pashby added: “It’s disappointing to see candidates resorting to asking voters to vote for them to avoid someone else, rather than as an active, positive choice.

“Voters deserve to have their choices valued properly through proportional representation, rather than our broken first-past-the-post electoral system.

"I’d urge voters to vote with their conscience, and to vote for action on the climate emergency and against austerity. The Greens are for a People’s Vote and will campaign unequivocally to remain.”

Conservative candidate for South West Herts Gagan Mohindra was approached for comment but said he “does not normally speak about opposition campaigns”.