No one said progress was going to be easy. It takes guts, effort and imagination to stand against a powerful (yet failing) system and offer hope of a better way of doing things. When the stakes can mean life or death for the most vulnerable in our society, affecting the wellbeing of us all, the responsibility to vote cannot be underestimated. Your vote matters. And must be used wisely.

There have been times in the past where voting has been a purely reactive exercise for me. One where picking the least worse option was necessary. This time is different. This time I can be proactive.

While it is an imperative to defeat the Tories and curtail their destructive influence, we each have the option to vote for something great: a party manifesto that offers genuine hope for the people of this country; and a leader who has shown fight and dignity during numerous attacks and challenges, while continuing to be an inspiration, working to help us all.

Let’s vote for a better, more egalitarian Britain, where we’re looking out for each other, not out for all we can get.

I’m voting Labour.