A billionaire donor who backed Boris Johnson in the last election has said he will vote for the Labor Party next month because the Conservatives’ record has left him in “despair”.
John Caudwell, who founded Phones4U, gave half a million pounds to the Conservatives in 2019 to avoid what he called “the disaster that would have been Jeremy Corbyn in Downing Street”.
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However, he said the “failures” of the three prime ministers in government since then, coupled with the “transformation” of the Labor Party under leader Sir Keir Starmer, had led him to change allegiance for the first time in his life.
Caudwell said: “I have been quite despairing for many years about the performance of the party I have supported for the last 51 years: the Conservatives.
“Just five years ago I donated half a million to the Conservatives to help avoid the disaster that would have been Jeremy Corbyn in Downing Street.
“But I have been increasingly critical of the Tories’ failings since then, particularly over Rishi’s mismanagement of the economy during Covid, Boris’s lowering of ethical standards – and of course coupled with this the charge that Tory friends have benefited unduly in relation to Covid PPE – and then the Liz Truss debacle.”
Caudwell said especially in the last two years he has been “amazed by the way Keir Starmer has transformed the Labor Party and brought it back from that Corbyn threshold”.
“As I have always said, the government must have a much more commercial mindset to increase GDP, in order to finance public services that benefit the whole of society, without increasing taxes.”
Starmer is projected to win a landslide victory. Photo: PA
He said he was “delighted” to see economic growth at “front and centre” of the Labor manifesto, and “that projected growth is clearly linked to making Britain a clean energy superpower”.
He added: “So I can publicly declare that I will vote Labor and I encourage everyone to do the same.
“We need a very strong Labor government that can make extremely bold decisions and you can be sure I will do my best to influence them wherever I can, to get the big guys back in Britain.”
The news is a further boost for Sir Keir, who according to the latest election polls is on track for a 256-seat majority – the largest of any post-war government.
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If correct, it would also take the Conservatives to their lowest ever number of MPs – a remarkable turnaround for the party that won a commanding 80-seat majority five years ago.
The announcement follows a recent meeting between Mr Caudwell and Sir Keir.
Sir Keir said: “I am delighted that John, someone with such a successful track record in business, has today given his support to the new Labor Party which I lead.
“The message is clear: businesses support change and economic stability under Labour, and reject another five years of chaos and decline under the Tories.”
Sir Keir added: “John was not only a Conservative voter but a substantial donor to the Conservative Party in 2019 – so it’s not a decision he took lightly. But it’s clear he shares my growth plan that I set out in the labor manifesto.
“I’m campaigning non-stop until July 4 to win the votes of other people who have supported the Tories in the past but see switching to Labor as the best future for Britain.”
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
