Rising from the ashes: Are the young Conservatives the party’s saving grace?
With a dark blue future looking unlikely, the party has turned to the younger generation for change. But who are the fresh faces taking on the challenge?
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Taking a video of you and your friends singing off key while wine drunk in the pub is a rite of passage for any young person. However, most young adults aren’t joined by the leader of one of the biggest political parties in Britain. During the recent Conservative party conference (CPC25) in Manchester, Kemi Badenoch joined the young conservatives in the pub. Union flag in hand, microphone in the other, she sang and danced along to iconic songs such as Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’. And she wasn’t the only high-profile conservative to focus their media stunts on the YC’s. Robert Jenrick, shadow justice secretary and runner up for the last leadership election, performed a DJ set filled with tracks from our favourite national treasures.
Since CPC25, the Conservatives have made a miraculous recovery against Reform UK, matching them in the youth voting intention polls yet again.
YouGov voting intention (18-24) updated December 8th, 2025
According to Reform UK’s website, they have over 268,000 members. They have no clear estimate for how many of those are under 25 members. Although the conservatives have released no official numbers, it is estimated to be approximately 185,000 with 15,000 of those being under 25.
With many prominent former Tories jumping ship to Reform UK, many are asking whether the Conservative party is on its deathbed. To find out, I spoke to two young Conservatives on why they have faith.
Oliver Morgan is the Young Conservative Co-Ordinator for Lincolnshire. At 21, he is already beginning to make his mark in the party. He insists that the party is under no substantial threat from Reform UK. He says that in his experience, the young conservatives appeal to the widest range of people and are committed to change in parliament and the party. Oliver often attends association events in Lincoln, remarking that the scene is excited for what this new generation can do to revitalise their party. This sentiment was also echoed by the young conservative’s regional chairman for the East Midlands, Josh Allen. He is passionate about the party and how he alongside friends and fellow YC’s such as Oliver can make an impact on the party and steer it towards the values that conservatives truly want. Josh Allen also spoke at CPC25, winning a backbench debate on policy change against other politicians in the party. According to him, this proves that young conservatives are taken extremely seriously in the party.
While the YC (Young Conservatives) are breaking through into the central structure of the party, this doesn’t mean that the rising popularity of Reform UK and The Green Party isn’t a real threat. With the most recent voting intentions showing that a staggering 42% of 18–25-year-olds are considering voting Green compared to only 8% for the Conservatives and Reform UK.
After 13 years of Conservative power, maybe the people of the country are tired of the same old. But the way it’ll fall is yet to be decided. Anything could happen in the next 4 years, and these Young Conservatives are certainly keen to keep the party they love on the front benches.