SIR,

I joined the Labour Party because at the age of 25 I wanted to fight for a future where British people, including my generation, would be able to earn fair wages, get on the housing ladder, and prepare a good life for their children. I thought that joining a political party, rather than simply writing about policy, would be a pragmatic way of doing my part in achieving that.

I have left the Labour Party after five years of membership and four years of campaigning. This was a very difficult decision to make after working very hard for the election of officials in Yorkshire and in Wales.

In that time I was the youth officer, the constituency's secretary, and community involvement officer, and tried to become ones of Wales's candidates for the European elections.

Many incidents have brought me to this decision. But I remember leaving a selection panel for the EU elections. I was asked what I had done for gender equality by a panel which was three quarters women. Then three days later I was told that a motion I wrote for conference which called for the safeguarding of minor injury units had been rejected. This was before I had the chance to present it.

But the nail on the head is how the party which champions itself as the one which stands up for the NHS, has utterly failed the people of Monmouth. I have rolled up my sleeves and learnt how things work in the NHS.

Monmouth will always lose out with a Labour government in Cardiff because Monmouth is seen as an elite little outpost. You and I know that that view is wrong and simplistic.

We are a community. We deserve better. And we will, eventually, get it.

Mat Davies

(Monmouth)