‘This will be my first general election – and I’m voting Lib Dem’

The key battle lines have been drawn up, the much-anticipated manifestos have been released and the election campaign is in full swing.

However, winning over the electorate with its differing demographic and priorities is a huge challenge for all parties.

Telegraph reader Nick Hurt and his son, Henry, have outlined what they want out of the election, in turn, showcasing the difference in approach of two family members from different generations. While Nick exudes feelings of despair, Henry’s outlook is rather more hopeful.

‘I’m voting Reform – I want to see the Tories extinct’

“I despair at the state of the current Conservative Party. A few years ago I was an active and paid-up member. Since then, I have watched the party fail in almost every way possible; the two biggest being abandoning conservative principles, and the second is appointing ministers to senior jobs that they have no hope of succeeding in.

“Ministers who have no real skills other than handling the media, and a hinterland made up of nothing other than politics, have found themselves out of their depth, running offices of state with thousands of employees without the grit, skills or experience needed to be able to deliver positive change.

“On July 4, I will vote Reform (and I have recently joined the party). I want to see a near extinction level event for the current Conservative Party. In the 1980s we talked about how capitalism brought about the ‘creative destruction’ of failing companies and industries. I want to see the same for the Conservative Party now, forcing a significant change in its leadership, MP selection process and funding, and a clearout of their MPs. Their failure is so complete, nothing less than a complete restructuring is needed.

“No doubt Tory MPs (without a hint of self-awareness or irony) will lazily fall back on the old line that a vote for anyone else other than a Conservative will usher in the most Left-leaning government in generations, (and they are probably right) but they have had their chance, and they repeatedly blew it.

“I have no doubt that Sir Keir Starmer will wake up as prime minister on July 5, and I have equal faith that things will get much worse under a Starmer-led hard-Left government. I view the choice we have on July 4 in a more strategic context.

“Starmer is no Tony Blair, and his top team could not hold a candle to Blair’s first cabinet, from both an IQ, or life-and-career experience perspective.

“As a country we are already broke, so the usual Labour strategy of significant increases in spending will be constrained. Much of the world is turning Right, and there is a real chance of a Trump White House, so Starmer may find himself isolated. Starmer’s union paymasters will soon want payback for their support and the hard-Left will come out of hiding. There is no shortage of potential slips and trips for Labour in government and all this means Starmer’s honeymoon period will be short.

“Once the election has passed, my wish is to see the dominant Right-of-centre party (whichever party that is), start to get ready to govern with competence and confidence again. That starts while Labour are in office as we will need leaders who are willing to both defend and promote ideas from the Right.

“Once Starmer exits No 10, the Right will need people who can lead a period of significant renewal, rebuilding, and healing. The Right needs to spend time re-understanding the psychology and skills needed to be a confident and competent leader of both the country and large offices of state.

“A crisis in our country is coming, and we need to start finding candidates now who can grow into these roles and create leadership development paths to support their growth.”

‘The housing crisis is apparent and seems to have been completely ignored’

“This will be my first general election, so I can’t speak of my extensive loyalties to any one party because this is my first rodeo.

“I take no issue voting for whatever party best suits my needs. I am going to use some creative licence and say we are a multi-partisan system.

“Following the manifesto releases, I’d say I’m almost certainly voting Lib Dem. Between their international affairs pledges, new housing developments and the care of young people – their manifesto appeals to me most.”

“International relations have been so weak in the past decade, Brexit to an extent but also because of a lot of people’s attitudes, and the fact they don’t realise it is a two-way street. It’s arrogance in many ways, but we as a country think if we build up relationships with other nations we stand nothing to gain and will only be taken advantage of. It’s a linear mindset and it’s not helping anyone. We live in a hyper globalised world. No stopping that now.

“Especially for young people who are yet to be settled with a family, I don’t see why we should be ignoring the great opportunities abroad. I am studying out of Madrid at present, but have been able to meet people from every continent and discuss politics from every portion of the political compass – that experience is invaluable.

“I would also be interested to see the government provide a few more guarantees around utility costs. It is a very ‘studenty’ subject, but it’s not just students. I’m a student in the North, and blankets can only get you so far. There has since been a cap placed on the price of bills, but I don’t want expiring schemes to come to a close solely based off forecasts or expectations. In other words, I would be looking for guarantees of continued support for those who need it. Though I wouldn’t want to contribute to some over-extending welfare state.

“Finally, I would like to see some policies to support the North. It is somewhat well-trodden ground at this point, but it’s difficult to ignore the difference in basic infrastructure and job opportunities in London than in cities in the North. I am not naive, I understand it’s the capital and as such represents the UK and in many ways should take priority, but the success of Manchester with the extra lenience to self-govern and administer extra funds should speak volumes as to what could be done.

“While they’re at it, some housing schemes wouldn’t go amiss. The housing crisis is apparent, nearly all parties agree, but it seems to be completely ignored and avoided as a possible concern.

“This would be a perfect opportunity to invest in northern cities while providing affordable housing. Similarly, if we are funding northern cities, public transport is appalling, it’s expensive and it’s never reliable.”