What might the electoral map look like if Labour and the Liberal Democrats resolved to stop competing with each other in Conservative seats?
We modelled the hypothetical Lab-Lib pact by assuming that the two parties trade votes in Conservative seats depending on which is the runner-up. In this scenario, the Conservatives would still win 321 seats.
We also combine this with a 3% swing away from the Conservatives, in favour of whichever party is the runner-up. In this case, the Conservatives would win 301 seats, Labour would win 246, and the Liberal Democrats would win 31, giving the hypothetical Lab-Lib coalition a total of 277.