Ruth Davidson says under-40s see the Conservative Party as ‘anathema’
2 min read
The leader of the Scottish Conservatives has said that the Tories have ‘lost the trust of the crash generation.’
High house prices and poor career progression have pushed younger voters away from the Conservative Party, Ms Davidson has claimed in an article for the Guardian.
Ms Davidson said that younger voters currently see the Conservatives as ‘anathema’, and called for the party to adopt a more open, liberal outlook to win over under-40s.
Calling current polling figures ‘depressing’, the Edinburgh MSP writes that almost half of 18- to 24-year-olds would never countenance voting for the Conservatives, while less than 10 percent of under-40s say they are certain to vote Tory.
‘I find these figures depressing, but not entirely unsurprising’ she said.
‘The crash generation simply don’t trust the motivation of the right. Given the hand they’ve been dealt in the past decade, there’s little wonder.’ Ms Davidson wrote.
Ms Davidson called on the party to follow the lead of the Scottish Conservatives in making gains amongst younger voters and removing the negative stereotypes’ associated with the party.
‘Top of the list of priorities are policies that will make housing affordable again’ she said.
‘We must do more to level up the playing field, take on vested interests, and free up affordable land.’
Ms Davidson also announced plans to launch Onwards, a centre-right think tank aimed at developing policies to appeal to the young.
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