Richmond Green Party won’t contest Richmond Park by-election; backing Lib Dems instead

This is rather helpful news for Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney:

Ukip, of course, is backing Zac Goldsmith whilst the calls by Labour MPs for their party to back the Liberal Democrats didn’t win out in their party.

UPDATE: The Green (non-)candidate has now written up her own account of the decision and reasons for it. Here is an extract:

I took the very difficult decision to not stand in this by-election for the Green Party. Despite what some people have suggested the decision was mine, and mine alone. My local party backed my choice, almost unanimously – though our neighbours Kingston Green Party can, technically, run a candidate of their own and will decide on that later today.

I am demonstrating by my actions that we support Progressive Alliances, that we must change our electoral system from First Past the Post so that no party should have to make this sacrifice again, and because it’s essential to break open politics and begin to build towards a non-Conservative Government in the future. I am taking a principled stand, and hoping to send a real message to this government: Richmond Park does not want an MP who has failed his constituents over Heathrow, that its residents do not support hard Brexit and a candidate endorsed by UKIP, and that the people of south west London want a tolerant Britain, not the closed, small-minded one offered by this Government.