Fred Lynam: Young Tories used to be the target of jokes. The tragedy is there’s been too few to make it worth the while

Fred Lynam is a Coordinator with Conservative group ‘Young People for Renewal’  

“Conference, I’m 13 now, but I still remember many years ago when I was 11 ½.”

Comedian Harry Enfield’s character ‘Tory Boy’, the dorkish, snivelling, Portillo-based character of the 1990s, wouldn’t work today.

It wouldn’t work partly because the party has changed for the better, no longer the image of snootiness and privilege that plagued us for decades. Tory Boy also wouldn’t work today because young Conservatives aren’t worth making fun of —  because, well, where are they?

In the last election only 8 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds voted Conservative, the lowest share of any major party —  slightly lower than Reform but more than five times lower than Labour. Just six years ago 21 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds voted Conservative, and back in 1983 a stonking 42 per cent voted for Thatcher. To put it in perspective, a 66-year-old today, fresh into retirement, was more likely to have voted Tory when they were fresh out of university back in 1983 than last July.

It’s not surprising why. The previous Conservative governments did not provide young people with enough opportunities to build their future.

Faced with this legacy, the young voted for change in July. However, as has been the case for those across board, this turned out to be change for the worse.

It is becoming increasingly clear that this Labour government is failing to appeal to young people. It is failing to build an economy in which we can see ourselves as homeowners, parents or entrepreneurs. The answer for many has been to up sticks and leave. My social media is full of early-career Brits sharing their tips on moving to Australia, Dubai, Milan and New York.

One constant throughout all of this change has been the hunger of so many young people in Britain for an economy and society that is fair and free — that demands hard work and rewards aspiration.

Indeed, the energy and dedication of young people who have held fast to their small-‘c’ values is admirable — especially in recent years, during which many have experienced an emerging culture of intolerance of freedom of expression, especially on university campuses. In her address to conference, Kemi spoke of students who had appealed to her directly, “afraid to share their politics with others because they’d be attacked and marked down by lecturers because of their beliefs.”

The Conservative Party remains the party of aspiration, but a new contract between the party and the young electorate is needed. A recent meeting of young Conservatives in London suggests that this contract is in the process of being drawn up.

At a packed day of policy sessions with the party’s top Shadow Secretaries of State, the next generation of Conservatives got stuck into serious discussions about the future of Britain. From housing and education to innovation and defence, no topic was off the table. But it wasn’t all spreadsheets and speeches, and by the evening nearly 200 young Conservatives, under the banner of Young People for Renewal, did what this current government is failing to do, and supported the local pub! 

Both party chairmen were there to congratulate our recently elected young Conservative councillors (the few, the happy few) and then Kemi addressed the room. Her message was clear: politics needs conviction, courage, and a new generation ready to take the fight to Labour.

The drubbing in last year’s general election, and last month’s locals, gave a strange sense of mission. This isn’t the old model of Tory Boy politics. It’s sharper, hungrier and determined to shape a future different from that currently being presented.

With growing momentum behind them and leadership from the top, Young Conservatives are finding their voice.

It’s true that youth hasn’t been a priority for the party in recent years, neither within organisational structure nor in policy.

Now, the Conservative Party is under new leadership, and it’s undertaking a process of renewal that includes its approach to its young members. Throughout the leadership campaign, Kemi was frank in noting that the party had let young Conservatives down, and clear in setting out what needs to change:

“We need to defend them, champion them, and give them a party they can be proud of.”

The Young Conservative are making progress. Time will tell if momentum can be built.

One measure of success will of course be vote share; another will be if we can inspire Harry Enfield to take aim at us again.