Bob Hayward, the former head of David Cameron’s local Conservative Party branch has resigned his membership of over 60 years, and joined Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party, citing concerns for the “poor and needy” and “the rise of poverty and foodbanks.”
Hayward joined the Conservative Party during his teens and has stayed for all of his adult life. He will now be voting for the Labour Party candidate Duncan Enright, in the up-coming Witney by-election. He had been the Chipping Norton branch chairperson for three years, standing down in 2008.
Hayward is a member of the group ‘Christians Against Poverty’ and had felt “uncomfortable” at the prospect of voting Conservative. He added that:
I strongly feel the Labour Party has a natural leaning towards helping the poor and needy and that is why I shall be voting for Duncan Enright. Labour will always protect the vulnerable and look after those in real need. That isn’t to say the other political parties will not, but one has to make a choice and mine will be for Labour.
Hayward revealed that he had left the Conservative Party last year but had only recently decided to make public his change of allegiance.
Hayward doesn’t believe Theresa May’s claim that she wants to “pitch for the centre ground.” He said that:
She’s going to say that isn’t she because that’s where the votes are.
As the Conservatives under Theresa May continue to lurch to the right, Bob Hayward will serve as an example that Jeremy Corbyn and Labour can win back voters that may have deserted Labour, or who had never actually voted for Labour, despite the Labour right and media claims to the contrary.
