I have been an instinctive Conservative supporter all my life (I am 64) and have always voted Conservative, but on 8 June, for the very first time, I will be voting Labour. The reasons for this are twofold. First, I have great respect and admiration for my local Labour MP (Siobhain McDonagh), and would like to see her continuing in that role. Second, I think that Theresa May – partly because of her personal characteristics (arrogance, refusal to listen to any opposition); partly because of her failure to tackle the most pressing problems the country faces (unprecedented crises in the NHS, social care, education, police service and prisons); and partly because of her strategy on Brexit (ignore the 48% who voted to remain, antagonise the other EU leaders, take the hardest possible line in negotiations, and prefer no deal to a bad deal) – is absolutely the wrong person to be leading the UK through the next five years. I believe it is going to be crucial to have the strongest possible opposition to her premiership in the House of Commons, and I will, therefore, be voting to give my local Labour MP the largest possible majority on 8 June, Jeremy Corbyn notwithstanding.

Douglas Lee

London

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