Party must come together or Corbyn will rule, says Javid
THE Conservatives have lost the trust of voters because they have failed to deliver Brexit, Sajid Javid has warned, as he said that young people do not believe the party cares for them.
The Home Secretary, who is seen as a contender for the Tory leadership, told the Scottish Conservative conference in Aberdeen that Tory divisions could cost them the next General Election. “A divided team cannot lead a divided party,” he said.
Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary and another leadership candidate, will today say that the Tories “have an age problem”, with under-50s more likely to vote for Jeremy Corbyn.
He will tell the Welsh Conservative conference in Llangollen that they must put the case for “a new Conservative generation” that is not “pining for the past or patronising the young”.
Both men are positioning themselves as One Nation Conservative candidates for the leadership.
Mr Javid warned that if Labour wins the next general election, which he suggested “could well come before 2022”, the Tories could be out of power for a generation and will face an “existential crisis”.
Setting out areas where he felt the Conservatives would face a “tough” election campaign, he said: “We need people to know that we share their values and understand their needs.
“That’s the underlying reason why we have struggled with some ethnic minority voters, young voters, working-class voters and, yes, Scottish voters until recent times.
“We are seen as a divided team. A divided party cannot unite a divided nation. The only winner from that is Corbyn. If we are divided, he will rule.
“We’d better find a way to renew in government, to deliver on Brexit and to come together as a team.”
Mr Hancock believes that the Tories must win over young people. He will say: “We’ve got to show that we’re a government energised today by the challenges of tomorrow, a new Conservative generation leading our country forward with optimism, with hope, and with confidence.
“We have an age problem. We need to become a force for working-age people, we need younger people to join our movement and power it forward.”