Despite the predictable cries of "traitor" from the Tory ranks and the growls of disapproval from some of the more staunch Conservatives of west Oxfordshire, there have always been many - his wife possibly among them - who wondered what someone like Shaun Woodward was doing in the Tory party of William Hague, writes George Frew.

In some ways, there was a certain inevitability surrounding Woodward's decision to cross the floor of the House of Commons.

It is thought that Camilla Woodward voted Conservative in the last election only because her husband's name was on the ballot paper. One assumes that there must therefore have been an element of "I told you so," from her when the MP for Witney was sacked for refusing to accept the party Whip on the matter of Section 28, the law that forbids the 'promoting' of homosexuality by local councils. Some of Woodward's constituents have made their views forcibly plain. One said: "Whatever his views on various issues, he stood as a Conservative. Now he is no longer a Conservative, he should resign."

Yet the Tory politicians singing from the same hymn-sheet are the very same ones who know that crossing the floor and changing political allegiance halfway through a parliament is seldom a reason for resignation.

And no matter which side of the House he sits on, Shaun Woodward's views and concerns remain the same.

"I'm in politics to make things better," he says. "I don't know how long I'll be in politics - it might be ten years, it might be less, it might be more. Who knows? "But so long as I am in it, I want to use whatever limited skills and talents I have to make life better for other people. I mean, I know that the world could be better. I know that our country could be better.

"I can't predict the future of the Conservative Party. I suspect that even Mystic Meg would have some difficulties. But I never had a second thought about my stance on Section 28. Never.

"There are two reasons. One is that if, for example, anyone had suggested to me that I could somehow be out of the country on the night and not have to vote on Section 28, and that nobody would know, I would have found that pretty repugnant because I believe in standing up and being counted.

"Secondly, as the pressure grew over the few days before I was sacked, a couple of people said to me: 'You know, if this goes on you may have to think about your position.' "I never said that. I had made it clear that I felt as strongly about this issue as Ian Gow did on Northern Ireland when he resigned as Margaret Thatcher's parliamentary secretary, but he did that only on the night before the vote."

Woodward adds: "The particular bit I don't understand is that the vote on Section 28 is not until February. I genuinely thought that there was way through this. I don't believe that parents want any sexual activity promoted in schools. I abhor the discrimination of homosexuality in this particular section and that's why it's a bad law and it should go because it's wrong and it's discriminatory. "I proposed a way forward that would involve a statutory requirement on every school to have a bullying and sex education policy drawn up by parents and reviewed by them in consultation with teachers and governors. Parents would get what they want. Of course, in a school in rural Oxfordshire, such as Witney, for example, there would be different emphases.

"I wanted flexibility. I wanted to devolve to parents, teachers, to those who know best. As soon as I knew this issue was coming up, I started talking to headteachers and asking them what they thought. They told me they wanted Section 28 abolished for the very same strong reasons that many other people had written to me about. "A great number of teachers have written to me saying, 'Thank God someone's listening!' And that's what I want. I want us to listen. I want us to learn. We all make mistakes in life, none of us is perfect and my list is probably longer than most. But that still doesn't mean to say that we shouldn't work for a better tomorrow."

Some might suspect an element of spite in Woodward's political defection, yet he claims to harbour no bitterness over his sacking.

"No one likes being sacked," he says. "And the style of the sacking added a level of wry humour to an otherwise rather sad day. Sadness was what I felt. But William Hague is the leader of the Conservative Party. It is his prerogative and right to lead it in whatever direction he wishes to take it. "However, when I was elected in 1997 my position was perfectly clear about the things I believe. Being on the front bench was not why I was in politics. I am in politics because there are things that I believe my constituents care about.

"So far as my constituency is concerned, I am the same person they elected in 1997 and I will work for them. I will listen to teachers. I will listen to doctors. I will fight the cause of Burford hospital. The Government did make a mistake in letting the health authority close it. But luckily the new Health Secretary didn't agree with his predecessor Frank Dobson. Let's give him some credit for that."

So how does he respond to charges of 'careerism' after crossing the floor? He reflects: "I think I have ambition, but what I've learned about myself is what I hoped would be true, but had never really been tested in this way. Because I am more ambitious for the causes such as children's voices, and an open and honest debate about Europe.

"I am more ambitious for causes such as those than I am for myself. And what I have learned is that I am prepared to sacrifice myself if I think the cause is important.

"For me, Section 28 is about so many things. It's about heart. It's about the decency of the individual. Do we wish to raise our children in a climate of fear, prejudice and discrimination? Or do we wish them to be raised in an open, tolerant society which, in the words of John Major in 1990, is a society at ease with itself? Because Section 28 reveals a society at odds with itself." He adds: "We have a choice. What sort of society would we be proud to have built? I do not believe it would be a society based on prejudice, intolerance and fear. And when we in public service find that, we must remove it even if it costs us our jobs."

Shaun Woodward received hundreds of letters supporting his stance on Section 28. It will be interesting to see how much support he retains from his Witney constituents.

Story date: Tuesday 21 December

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.