MAAJID Nawaz has partly blamed “tactical voting” for the searing defeats suffered by Liberal Democrats, including the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency.

Hailed as the man who could keep the party in contention after a near-wipeout in last year’s council elections, the parliamentary candidate ended up polling just over 3,000 votes, shipping a 25 per cent share in the vote. Labour's Tulip Siddiq was elected, with the Conservatives coming second.

“In difficult and populist times such as these, it is always the case that people will seek certainty over trepidation,” Mr Nawaz said. “The vote was a worried vote. In times of uncertainty, many people revert to the known – whether Conservative or Labour, lots voted in a small ‘c’ conservative way. These are just the times we live in.”

Mr Nawaz added: “The fact that we haemorrhaged votes in Tory as well as Labour-facing seats, does lend some credence to the idea that many of our voters went for the tactical option.

“I have received countless well-wishing messages from voters, indicating this to be the case in Hampstead and Kilburn too. It has shocked many supporters of liberalism that we have been hit so hard politically. I do not think the nation wanted, nor expected it to be so. This is why so many have rushed to join the Liberal Democrats since last Thursday.”

He warned that there were other reasons for the Lib Dem losses, which saw them reduced to just eight MPs in the House of Commons. In the Hampstead Town by-election and Holborn and St Pancras they fell to fourth.

“Much of our traditional support base has clearly been unforgiving about the Liberal Democrats joining coalition,” said Mr Nawaz. “And though history will most likely judge Nick Clegg better than the current mood has done, there are lessons to be learnt in ‘how to do’ coalition, if it is ever done again. These include the damage broken pledges can inflict, especially if they form the precise reason a certain demographic voted for us.”