FORMER LABOUR PARTY CHAIRMAN PLEDGES TO HELP WOKING LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

Denzil Coulson, a local teacher who lives in Goldsworth Park, has left the Labour Party, joined the Liberal Democrats and pledged to help their parliamentary spokesperson, Dr Anne Lee. He said "the deployment of the Blackwatch to Baghdad was the last straw, I opposed the war even before it began."

He added "I am also appalled by what the Conservatives and Labour are saying in this bidding war over immigration. The majority of immigrants work very hard and make valuable contributions to this country. It is especially insulting to people in Woking to have this debate raging over their heads. Managed immigration has to be the way forward.

"I was very active in Labour but it will be a relief not to get anti-Labour reaction on the doorsteps any more. And the decline in Labour Party membership in most constituencies, including Woking, shows this. Labour's membership in Woking is plummeting. I want to make it clear to all Labour voters in Woking that voting Labour in Woking only helps to get a Tory MP elected."

Anne Lee said "it is a difficult and often emotional decision for a committed politician to change their party, Denzil is following in a proud tradition led by Shirley Williams. Both of them said the same thing to me "I did not leave my party, I am afraid my party left me". We will make him, and other former Labour supporters, welcome."