MORE than 100 supporters of progressive cross-party group South West Surrey Compass attended the book launch of A New Way of Doing Politics.

Breaking the traditional mould, members of the Labour Party, the Green Party and Liberal Democrats joined together in the 2017 general election to support the South West Surrey constituency bid by National Health Action candidate, practising GP Dr Louise Irvine.

The book seeks to dispel the view that only “marginal” seats are worth contesting.

It points instead to a new kind of activism, driven by shared progressive values, across party divides, “with the aim of bringing democracy to Britain’s antiquated political system”.

Dr Irvine was special guest at the event, which also included presentations by guest speakers Neal Lawson, national chair of Compass and former political adviser to prime minister Gordon Brown, Barry Langford, Labour Party member and author of All Together Now, and Andree Frieze, Richmond Green Party borough councillor.

Mr Lawson applauded the work of the South West Surrey Compass group for the remarkable degree of success it achieved in the 2017 General Election.

Sitting MP Jeremy Hunt was comfortably re-elected, but his majority was cut from 28,556 at the previous election to 21,590, as his closest rival Dr Irvine more than doubled her number of votes from 4,851 to 12,093 (20 per cent) to finish second.

* The book is available for £12 by sending an e-mail to

[email protected] with a delivery address.