Bright Young Welsh Conservative defects to Labour

David Anstee, a 26 year-old teacher from Tonypandy, joined the Labour Party today. David has been an active member of the Welsh Conservatives. He was the first Conservative to stand as a Council candidate in the Rhondda for over 20 years when he contested the Treorchy by-election in March. He was the vice chair of the Rhondda Conservatives.

I was very pleased to welcome with other colleagues him to the new Assembly building today to hand him an enlarged version of his membership card.

We had a message of welcome for him from the Prime Minister, who said:

I am pleased that David listened to my call for moderate conservatives to
join the Labour Party and help build a better Britain. I welcome him to the
party and look forward to hearing of his positive contribution in the
future.

David has been impressed by the way Gordon Brown has led the country since becoming Prime Minister. He told us:

Like many political moderates I had hoped that David Cameron’s leadership
of the Conservatives would herald a changed party that reflected the concerns of
the people of our country.

But unfortunately the Conservative Party has shown itself to be incapable of change. It has pandered to the views of its right wing whenever it has faced a serious test.

In contrast, I have been really impressed by Gordon Brown’s leadership. His
strength and vision for Britain has been inspiring. We need a serious leader
for serious times, to meet the challenges of security, global warming and
housing.

There is now an interview with David on Rhondda TV.