IT IS with sadness that I watch the Labour Party of which I have been an active member for 36 years, engaged in a bitter internal battle which I fear will keep the Tories in power for decades to come.

I am deeply proud of so many decisions taken by Labour when we were in government – like creating the national minimum wage, tax credits to help working families and the education maintenance allowance for young people.

All of these successfully helping the poorest in our society to have a better life.

And of course we saw record investment in services we all rely upon like the NHS with dramatically reduced waiting times and schools with huge improvements in educational attainment.– David Drew as our Labour MP for 13 years can be justly proud of all he helped to achieve.

But today we have a deeply unfair Conservative Government who have underfunded the NHS leading to longer waiting times.

They have made cuts to the tax credits on which so many families rely, and are reducing education investment.

At the same time as hitting ordinary people who can least afford it, they have made tax changes to benefit the wealthiest in society.

It’s just plain wrong.

That is why it is so important that Britain has a strong opposition with an effective leader who can mount a serious challenge to the Tory Government at the next election.

Yet nearly a third of people who voted Labour in 2015 say they will not be voting Labour at the next election if Jeremy Corbyn is leader.

Over 80 per cent of Labour MPs have lost confidence in Jeremy Corbyn and he cannot even fill Shadow Ministerial roles.

Labour needs a new leader who can restore credibility, who has the respect of Labour MPs and can reach out to the wider electorate, as well as party members. Our choice as a Party is between a serious chance of forming a government which can create a fairer Britain, or many years in the political wilderness as just a protest movement.

Allison Hope

Nailsworth