I remember a time when I was young… a long, long time ago. That’s not the subject matter here, the subject matter is actually cause for celebration. Well, perhaps.
The Conservative traditional grip on older voters appears to be slipping as research found only people aged over 70 back the Tories.
Pollster YouGov revealed that the age group most likely to vote Labour in the next election is 25 to 29-year-olds – at 59 per cent. And Keir Starmer’s party had an advantage over the Tories in five other age categories, with a lead among 18 to 24-year-olds up to the 60-69-year-old age bracket.
The only age category most likely to opt for the Conservatives are the over-70s, at 43 per cent.
Ahead of the last general election in 2019, the Conservative party was ahead of Labour in the four age categories from 40 years old and over.
YouGov’s Matthew Smith said: “Age will continue to be the key dividing line at the general election.
“The Tories are now the most popular party only among the over-70s, 43% of whom back the party. This is down from 67% in 2019, however, with Labour being the main beneficiaries, having increased their vote share among the oldest Britons from 14% to 23%.
“Britons in their 60s are split, with 33% backing Labour and 31% the Conservatives. The majority of Britons under-50 now say they will vote Labour.”
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/tories-labour-age-vote-election_uk_65b96e59e4b01c5c3a3883a8?utm_campaign=share_twitter&ncid=engmodushpmg00000004
This is definitely good news to anyone who wants to see the Tories out of power, even if there are question marks as to just how much Labour will reverse Tory policies. All the polls suggest Labour will absolutely destroy the Tories at the next election, with some predictions suggesting Labour will have a majority of 150 seats, and even 250 in some cases!
So, what would make younger people move away in droves from the Tories? Well, younger voters have grown up with 14 years of damaging Tory austerity, a real-term drop in income, the folly of Brexit, sewage in our rivers, and the Partygate Scandal. They grew up having to watch the inept Boris Johnson lurch us from one pandemic crisis to another. Those who are now coming to voting age at the next election have had plenty to consider, and it’s not just the youngest bracket; up to the age of 60, those quizzed by the Huffington Post would be more likely to vote Labour. It is only those other 70 who would be more likely to vote Tory, and even then, the margin is not spectacular.
The risk now is that of complacency. The older population tends to vote. A lot of others suffer from apathy during election season, though the considerable damage done by the Tories might encourage others to get out there and vote. Indeed, there needs to be definitive action taken by voters here, which means Labour need to galvanize voters – especially younger voters – ahead of the election. They need to present policies that are what people want. One such step – nationalising rail services – is already on the cards, and this came as a surprise to me. Taking steps to ensure a fairer taxation system that doesn’t rip off people already struggling would be nice. Cleaning up our water by nationalising water companies, and stopping the greed of energy companies… please take those steps!
Whether or not these steps are taken, one thing is absolutely certain. The Tories have to go. There is zero chance of them making life better for the average Briton. They don’t want to make life better. They profit off the current system. They have mates in high places within big businesses, and the PM himself, Rishi Sunak, is a multi-millionaire, whose interests will never align with the average person. He and his cronies have no idea what the young people of Britain need. It is therefore quite fitting that the youth will destroy the old cronies.
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