General Election 2019: The Voters Switching Party Allegiances For The First Time

But 42-year-old Catherine, who has a recurring brain tumour and a fatal chronic illness, has just one aim in this election – to unseat Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party from government. 

“I’m only voting Labour as they’re the only ones who can get the Tories out,” she explains. “I don’t want the Tories in because of their destruction of the NHS.” 

Voting Lib Dem is “just not a tactical vote”, Catherine adds. In the last general election, the local Labour Party fell just 2,500 votes short of overthrowing the Tories, who have held Swindon South since 2010.

Matthew – a 46-year-old IT consultant – will also be voting for Labour for the first time in this election, having voted Conservative since 1992. 

“Whilst I have always viewed them as flawed, I saw them as less flawed than the other options,” he explains. 

But now, Matthew says he holds the Conservative Party “in contempt”. “Whilst not hard-right, the direction of travel [for the party] is clear,” he says. 

“It now seems to be a party determined to look out for the interests of a few rather than putting the country first.” 

Matthew – who voted Leave in 2016 and now regrets it – will be “holding my nose” while voting Labour. 

He actually supports the Lib Dems, but lives in Delyn – a seat in north Wales that has been held by Labour for the past 27 years. To get around this, he has agreed to a vote swap with someone living in a constituency where Jo Swinson’s party has a better chance of winning. 

“The number one issue is about trust,” he says when asked why he is backing the Lib Dems at this election. “I do not trust either the Tory or Labour parties.

“I think the Lib Dem manifesto seems to be better for the NHS and the economy. It also seems – though I’m not 100% sure here – better costed than both the Labour and slimline Tory ones.”