A life-long Labour supporter explains why in this election he found himself unable to vote for the party

It was a strange election campaign. When Theresa May called it, she seemed certain to cruise to a trouble-free landslide with Labour predicted to implode. In fact, the Tories were consistently rattled and Jeremy Corbyn seemed to gather strength and support the more the campaign went on, writes Mike Craven.

That ought to have cheered me up. A Labour member for 43 years, a former parliamentary candidate, chief media spokesperson for the party and shadow Cabinet adviser, I am still a Labour man through and through. I love the heritage, the values, and have never voted anything other than Labour.

But for the first time ever I have found myself wondering if I could vote Labour. And I am not alone. Thousands of Labour members faced the same problem – unable in good conscience to vote for Corbyn to be Prime Minister because his politics are so far from the tradition of British Labour social democracy.