This is the first of a three-part series of panels in which readers describe why they’re voting for a specific political party for the first time in their lives – in this case, the Conservatives. The next panel in the series will be about those who have decided to vote for the Labour party.

Roddy, 20, Bath: They’re the only party capable of delivering on Brexit



Voted Ukip in the 2015 general election

Ukip has moved away from being a pro-individual rights, small-state and fiscally responsible party. It’s now an ultra-conservative party with little more to offer than unattainable kneejerk pledges on immigration. I decided in April that I’m voting Conservative, not because I like their policies – quite the opposite – but because they’re the only party capable of delivering on Brexit and running our nation.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so disaffected and disappointed by politics as I feel about this election. It really is a race to the bottom.

Mark, 46, Cardiff: Labour is too obsessed with its internal struggles



Voted Labour in the 2015 general election

While I am not tribally Labour, I am left-leaning. I feel however that the Labour party is currently too obsessed with its internal struggles to form a believable government. The current method of electing a leader allows the more fundamentalist sections to have too strong a voice. With this method the Labour movement is dying. This is obvious in its socialist-leaning manifesto. The regressive policies will see Britain return to a public sector and union driven country.

Business should be the driver for creating wealth across the board. Labour does not understand business, is too focused on the NHS and is currently a joke. The Liberal Democrats are led by an evangelical Christian who keeps banging on about being working class. After reading the parties’ manifestos, the only party that seems in any way in control is the Conservatives. Their current manifesto seems to serve the wider population well and I believe they are the only choice.

Isla, 74, Airdrie: The SNP has been obsessed with independence



Voted Labour in the 2015 general election

Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, campaigning in Clackmannanshire, May 2017. Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images

The election is a chance to kill two birds with one stone by voting Conservative. I believe that after the election there will be a battle against extreme socialism and extreme nationalism, and I see Ruth Davidson [leader of the Scottish Conservative party] as a champion against aggressive nationalism.

I voted Labour for 50 years and have been a Guardian reader for 30 years, but I’m struggling with the party’s leftwing bias, given its current brand of socialism. This has never resonated with the middle of the road Labour voter, but only with fringe groups and middle class “intellectuals” who are for the people but not of the people.

Alan, 46, Reading: I do not believe we need another referendum



Voted Liberal Democrat in the 2015 general election

The Lib Dems’ main aim is a rerun of the referendum, and I don’t believe we need this, even though I identify with a lot of their other aims.

I voted for Brexit and want to get on with it and manage the pain of exit as best we can. Labour have simply moved too far to the left and will attack the few people who already pay the majority of tax in this country.

Yana, 55, Crewe: Our current Conservative candidate considers local views



Voted Labour in the 2015 general election

Theresa May campaigning in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, May 2017. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images

I have always voted Labour in every election, local or national, since being able to vote, so this has been a very difficult decision. But I cannot vote for a party that is in such disarray. The main concern I have is with the prospect of a poor Labour “management” team – because management is ultimately what the leader and cabinet provide for the country. Their seemingly tempting manifesto is made of wishes plucked from the air without the substance, leadership or money to deliver them.

As someone who voted to remain I believe there are very tough times ahead as we leave the EU, and strength and capability of leadership is vital, as difficult decisions are needed. I feel the current Conservative MP/candidate in my constituency is a moderate, hardworking individual who also considers local views. If I was presented with a different Conservative candidate I would have possibly not voted at all.

Annabel, 62, Cumbria: Tim Farron is my local MP but I find his stance on Brexit undemocratic



Voted Liberal Democrat in the 2015 general election

Tim Farron is my local MP but I find his current stance regarding the referendum result undemocratic. I believe the parties should try to work more cooperatively in the best interests of the country, not continue to fuel division that will be seen as a sign of weakness in negotiations. The Greens live in some strange parallel universe divorced from reality, Ukip is a spent force, and the Labour party, of which I was a member and for which I campaigned many years ago, has lost its way. I decided I was not going to vote for the Lib Dems when Farron started banging on about another referendum.