Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott knocked on doors with Richmond Park Labour candidate Christian Wolmar in East Sheen on Monday – yet only Zac Goldsmith and Liberal Democrat posters could be seen in front gardens.

Despite both Ms Abbott and Jeremy Corbyn visiting the constituency in the last seven days, doorstep data show Mr Wolmar is still a distant third to Mr Goldsmith and Ms Olney.

Many Labour voters expressed plans to vote tactically for Ms Olney, with some disappointed the party did not step aside so as to not split the Left-leaning vote.

Lifelong Labour voter William Palmer, 71, said he would vote Liberal Democrat on Thursday, and that Labour fielding a candidate was “absolutely pointless” in Richmond Park.

He said: “I’m disappointed Labour didn’t step aside in this one. It’s nonsense; it’s just the old Left thing of process and debate all the time.”

But Ms Abbott said it was important Labour campaigned in the election.

She said: “I think the Labour vote in Richmond has proved very resilient in the past, and I think it will be resilient again.”

Mr Wolmar said he found there was a “strong bedrock” of voters with Labour values in Richmond Park, pointing to the fact that Sadiq Khan won more votes than Lib Dem Caroline Pidgeon in the Mayoral election.

He also said his presence gave “more ammunition” to Ms Olney’s arguments for voting against Mr Goldsmith.

While Mr Palmer admitted Mr Goldsmith had been a “fair” constituency MP – and he thought he would retain his seat – he decided to back fellow Remainer Sarah Olney.

He said: “(Mr Goldsmith) has a 23,000 majority so to overturn that against a man who remains popular will be hard. I can’t see that number of Tories changing, or just simply not going to the polls for (Sarah Olney) to win.”

Palewell Park resident Ross Luke, who has a ‘Zac Goldsmith’ placard in his front garden, said that had he voted Remain, he would have still voted for Mr Goldsmith.

Mr Luke, 73, said: “We did go Brexit, but had I been Remain – and it was a close thing in the end – we still would have voted for Zac Goldsmith because, as I say, he’s an incredibly good constituency MP.

“And also there’s no doubt he is true to his word and you want an MP long-term who’s true to his word and looks after the constituency.”

Similarly, Brian Johnson, also from Palewell Park, said although he voted Remain, he would vote for Mr Goldsmith because he felt he “couldn’t trust” the Liberal Democrats after the party reneged on its promise not to raise tuition fees.