How the Conservative Party can win Telegraph readers back
Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly, and Mel Stride have declared their candidacy in the race to be the next leader of the Conservative Party.
The choice of Rishi Sunak’s successor will shape the future of the party as it prepares to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the next five years.
In turn, we have asked Telegraph readers if and how the Conservative Party could win back their favour and, potentially, their votes.
Out of over 1,000 readers, 65 per cent argued that if the party makes the right changes, it would be able to win their vote back. On the other hand, 23 per cent of readers were adamant that the Conservatives were a lost cause, while 12 per cent felt that the Tories never lost their support.
The most popular policies and changes mentioned by Telegraph readers are:
Diluting net zero policies was one of the major demands from readers who could be convinced to vote Conservative again.
Reader Susan Hudley argued the Tories “should return to their roots” and “call a halt to all the net zero idiocy and restore the UK’s energy security.”
She continued: “They must allow oil drilling in the North Sea and fracking where there is an economic case to do so. And the World Economic Forum group mindset on ‘climate change’ must be disavowed.”
Terry O’Dowd claimed that if he was ever to vote Conservative again, it would be when the party “dropped all the net zero targets that are making us poor.”
Similarly, reader P. Harrington also called for the party to “abandon unrealistic Net Zero targets.”
‘Commit to get a proper grip on immigration’
Another issue that readers believe has to be tackled before the Conservatives can earn their votes back is immigration.
For instance, reader Mike Philips called for the Tories to “act like a Right-wing party and control immigration,” adding that would be “just the beginning” of their return.
Cornelius Tyrell wrote: “The Conservatives would have to propose a two-year freeze on immigration whilst finding a long-term approach to limit numbers – as well as repudiating the ECHR.”
Susan Kimber shared Mr Tyrell’s view. She said: “They have to commit to leaving the ECHR and getting a proper grip on illegal immigration.”
‘Adopt Reform UK as running mate’
A lot of readers have called for the Tories to make a pact or merge with Reform UK, for them to unite the vote on the Right.
Reader Anthony Walker argued the Conservatives should “negotiate a merger with Reform and accept that most of the ‘One Nation’ Tories are in the wrong party.”
He continued: “Moreover, they should rebuild the new Reform/Conservative Party on the principles of core Conservatism of low taxes, [a] small state and self-reliance.”
Likewise, “adopting Reform UK as running mate would be a good start” reader Phillip Searle said, as he argued that “it’s clear the liberal-Left side of the Tory party are the real ones in crisis.”
John Eley, meanwhile, pointed towards “the Tories needing to have a comprehensive cull of the “wets” in the party. He said the Tories must elect a true conservative as leader and enter into an electoral pact with Reform UK at the next general election, if they ever want to win back voters.
Finally, reader Lee Papworth shared how he “was close to saying the Tories are a lost cause” and argued that “they need to find a way back to actual conservatism through policies that encourage growth, reward hard work and productivity, punish criminals and defend their supporters from the tyranny of woke orthodoxy.”
He recommended that the Tories read Reform UK’s manifesto, as “all the answers are in there.”
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Leadership hopeful James Cleverly has already ruled out the possibility of a unified Conservative Party and Reform. He said: “The Conservative Party doesn’t do mergers.”
Paul Camp suggested that “any candidate that doesn’t follow James Cleverly’s suit and rule out a merger with Reform if they become Tory leader will be dead in the water.”
He believes “all but a few desperate MPs wouldn’t vote for them in the first rounds.”
Likewise, Ivan Yardley argued he would not vote for a party that has “merged with the centre-left Tories”, and he says that as a person who had, until the last election, voted Conservative for the previous 45-plus years.
“James Cleverly’s declaration is designed to appeal to the One Nation supporters that still have the party by the throat,” reader Paul Walsh argued, adding “it will be music to Nigel Farage’s ears – not that Reform would touch any party led by the likes of Cleverly.”
‘Too influenced by progressivism’
As mentioned by many readers, one of their main concerns is how far Left the Conservative Party has drifted. They called for a return to true conservatism to uphold the values of their once-loyal supporters.
For instance, an anonymous reader shared: “All the candidates standing have to state explicitly they will return to mainstream conservatism and then back it up.”
James Francis argued that “the current Conservative Party is far too influenced by progressivism” and supporters “couldn’t vote for a party that was conservative in name only in the election.”
‘I’m never going back’
For some readers, however, the Tories are a lost cause.
Reader Gerard Meade asserted: “I simply do not trust the Conservative Party to deliver. After a lifetime, 45 years, of voting for them, they will never have my vote again. They made deliverable promises, but then proceeded to go off on a tangent, focusing on little issues and ignoring the major problems in the country.
“They were lazy, incompetent and untrustworthy,” he added.
Les Davey reflected on why “there is nothing now” the Tories can do to win back his vote. “They have had their day and blew the 80-seat majority.”
He went on to explain how “the final straw was the coup to put Rishi Sunak in power, having ensured members only got to vote. That’s when I resigned my membership in disgust.
“I have been a Reform supporter and member ever since and will continue to be so, as they are now the future for those with true conservative views and principles. I’m never going back.”
In a similar vein, reader Rosemary Woolley shared that “they can campaign on whatever they want, but I would not be able to believe them enough to vote them in.”
She continued: “We need a totally fresh, new government. I will always vote for Reform now or not at all. And it’s sad – because I always voted Conservative.”
‘The Tories should open up dialogue with their members’
There were a few readers who said the Tories never lost their support, including Wayne Barrett, who suggested that “while they haven’t lost my support, I feel we need to shift to a more Thatcherite party.”
He also felt the party should “open up a dialogue with its members. I hear members with excellent ideas, ideas that the Party could take to the Commons.”
He continued: “If they had a social chat or email where party members could suggest ideas, then ideas from the public could shape the party and its leadership.
“After all, those in the House of Commons are not mixing with the real public, the ones that see the real issues that stop people voting for them.”
James Phillips, who “will always support the Conservative Party because it is who I am fundamentally am”, was concerned that “through scandals and not introducing actual conservative policies” the Party has been “soundly rejected by the electorate.”
The reader, like many others, wants to see “the party of tradition and patriotism” go back to basics and “learn what it means to be a British conservative. If that is done, this party will return to the heights of British politics,” he said.