Conservative 'renewal' must not ignore young people
In March, Kemi Badenoch launched the Conservative Party's Policy Renewal Programme. In her speech, Kemi said that the Conservative Party’s members “shape our policy, and will be at the heart of the renewal.” She also said that “members from all walks of life will help us get to the root cause of our country’s problems.”
Kemi is right in saying that the Conservative members will play a crucial role in the Conservative Party Renewal Programme. However, what she failed to address in her speech is the Conservative Party’s current membership crisis.
Currently, almost 60% of Conservative members are above the age of 50, with only 6% under the age of 24. The party has a record low membership. Based on the Conservative leadership contest, the estimated number of members is around 131,680 - a figure which represents approximately 0.3% of the total UK electorate. It is a measly figure compared to the strength of the Conservative Party in the 1950s, when there were nearly 3 million.
It is unlikely the Party would reach such a number again; the age of mass party membership is quite clearly over. However, there is now a strong opportunity to increase current membership figures and improve party representation, especially among young people.
Recently, I had the opportunity to go to an event at CCHQ organised around Conservative renewal among young people. There were a variety of issues around young people that were brought up; however, the fundamental issue of low Party membership was not one of them.
Kemi said that membership should be from all walks of life, which includes young people, so why is Conservative membership amongst young people so low?
I asked Robert Jenrick how he would increase young membership, and he said it should be made cheaper for younger members. But membership is already as cheap as it gets - just £10 a year for young Conservatives. The reason young people aren’t joining isn’t the subscription rate; it’s the Conservative Party’s failure to communicate how young people could actually benefit from being members. The party needs to create meaningful ways for them to get involved. So, where should it begin?
Membership doesn’t need to be cheaper - it needs to be normalised. The definition of “membership” itself needs to evolve. Is Conservative membership just a space for die-hard political enthusiasts like myself? Or should it become something more open, accessible, and relevant to a broader range of young people?
In the 1950s, Young Conservatives numbered around half a million. Much of this was down to Lord Woolton, who was appointed Tory chairman in 1946. He prioritised recruiting younger members to the party. The recruitment was so successful because ‘members weren’t expected to debate policy. Instead, they were invited to dances and whist drives, garden parties and coffee mornings - events that became part of the fabric of community life. This purely social aspect of the party was a strong motivator for new members to join.
The party is also still very analogue and hasn’t caught up to the digital world. While distributing leaflets remains important, other methods could also be effective. For example, regularly posting TikTok videos featuring Conservatives discussing issues that matter to young people - and how the Party plans to address them - is one possible approach. Young people spend hours a day on TikTok; they almost never get their news from newspapers or pamphlets.
Local associations could also host weekly sessions which host a different topic. At the moment, recent graduates are struggling to find work after university. In many cases, over 150 people are applying for a single vacancy. If the Conservatives held discussion events focused on this issue, along with others that are directly relevant to their experiences, it could be a great way to attract young people.
The glory days of Party membership being made up of almost 3 million members in the 1950s will probably never happen again. Looking back at the huge young membership in the 1950s may be an example which is too far in the past and has no relation today. The ideas I have suggested around TikTok and Local Association events may prove to be futile. However, if CCHQ genuinely wants to renew the Conservative Party, they need to make a real effort to address the party’s record-low membership, especially among young people.
Jacob Solon is a public affairs professional at Centaurus Communications and a freelance political commentator.
