Tories battle toxic brand in fight to capture youth vote

CONSERVATIVES must break down the stereotypes and negativity associated with the party to lure young voters away from Jeremy Corbyn – as new polls show that half those aged 18-24 will not vote Tory at the next election, says a party vice-chairman.

Ben Bradley suggested the Tories were failing to engage young people who support Labour despite holding “Conservative values”.

His admission came as a YouGov poll showed that 44 per cent of 18 to 24-yearolds will “definitely” not vote Conservative at the next election. The figure rises to 49 per cent for those aged 2539. Only 16 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds and 26 per cent of those between 25 and 39 said they would not vote Labour.

Mr Bradley, the 28-year-old MP for Mansfield appointed in a role to increase the party’s youth appeal by Theresa May, said the polling, by the Centre for Policy Studies think tank, showed “a consistent level of support for broad Conservative values, which are clearly shared by a higher percentage of younger people than just those who voted Conservative in 2017”.

He stated: “This generation want the freedom of choice that a socialist Labour government simply cannot and would not provide, which is why the Conservatives are not out of the game with the under-40s. It’s clear we need to articulate our values and our commitment in an engaging way, because they should be voting Conservative. Delivering that change must involve breaking down stereotypes and negativity that sometimes surround our party.”

Robert Colvile, director of the Centre for Policy studies, said the figures were “alarming” for the Tories. He said: “Among those aged 18 to 24, 44 per cent say there is zero chance of their voting Tory – and the figure is even higher, at 49 per cent, among those aged 25 to 39. The proportion certain to vote Tory is, frankly, tiny: just 9 per cent of 25-39s and 5 per cent of 18-24s.”

The findings made “young voters seem alarmingly like miniature Corbyns”, Mr Colvile wrote.

Of those surveyed, 45 per cent said governments “do not do enough”, compared with 14 per cent who said they “do too much, and interfere in areas of people’s lives they should leave alone.”

But a majority appeared to oppose the scrapping of tuition fees – a key Labour pledge under Mr Corbyn – with 40 per cent saying university education should be paid for by students, through fees or a graduate tax. By contrast, 32 per cent said it should be paid for by VAT, income tax and corporation tax.

And 26 per cent said the Government “taxes too much and spends too much on services”, while 22 per cent said it “taxes too little and spends too little on services.”