MORE than 10,000 doors have been knocked by Wokingham’s Liberal Democrats team in the last few weeks, according to the group’s candidate Phillip Lee.

Speaking to the News after a YouGov poll showed the Liberal Democrats were ten percentage points behind the Conservatives in the town (a new poll suggests the gap is now even closer), the former Bracknell MP was optimistic about his chances.

He said: “On the ground, it’s close. [John Redwood] has got an 18,000 majority, he has been here for 32 years, it’s a challenge.”

“The campaign being run around here is one of the best campaigns being run by the Lib Dems nationally.

“Do we think we can win this? Absolutely we can win this.”

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Dr Lee caught national attention in September after defecting from the Conservatives to join the Liberal Democrats “primarily because of Brexit”, but he says other reasons played a part.

In his five-point-plan for Wokingham, Lee includes better healthcare provision, investing in youth services and fair funding for schools.

When pointed out that he was part of a Conservative government which cut per-pupil funding, he says this issue was “one of the reasons I changed.”

Reading East Lib Dem candidate Imogen Shepherd Du-Bey told the News Dr Lee is “not the perfect Lib Dem” but as “Wokingham is largely Conservative with a bit of Lib Dem, he matches the area very closely”.

READ MORE: John Redwood hits back at Phillip Lee's campaign 

Being a former Conservative minister rarely comes up on the doorstep, Lee told the News, and campaigning in this election has been “progress” as “when I was in Bracknell I used to have things thrown at me”, he added.

He has “absolutely no regrets” choosing to stand as a Liberal Democrat in Wokingham rather than a Conservative in Bracknell and points to a number of controversies concerned with his former party for helping him make the switch.

Bracknell News:

He said: “Could I stand on a Conservative Party manifesto? You must be joking.

“Could I stand to put Boris Johnson, a complete charlatan, a man who I trust as far as I could throw him into number 10? Absolutely not.”

Boris Johnson is not the only Conservative Lee took issue with when speaking to the News.

The ardent remainer claims his constituency rival, Conservative Brexiteer Sir John Redwood, is “out of step” with Wokingham over the issue of leaving the EU and claims the Tory has not spent enough time with residents.

But the Liberal Democrats candidate faced the same criticism when representing Bracknell.

Dr Lee said: “I would have greater prominence in the constituency going forward.

“I think it’s time for a change in Wokingham.

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“The way we do things is via phone or via email as it’s what people prefer.

“That’s how modern life works. The doubters and the critics are living in some past life in some 1950s Britain where the MP turned up on his horse to have a surgery in the village hall to sort out people’s problems.”

Tackling aggressive housing developers and reducing plastic pollution are the final priorities from his plan, and he hopes constituents will vote for these actions and remove John Redwood from office.

As the election looms, Dr Lee believes it will be tight between his vote and the Conservative vote, and he told the News it would “drive him nuts” if he loses by a close margin and “loads of people have voted Green and Labour.”

READ MORE: Labour candidate says a vote for her won't let John Redwood in 

He added: “If you’re a Labour voter, lend me your vote. That’s the only way not to have John Redwood as your MP. If you vote Labour, you get Redwood.”