The Conservatives are the world’s oldest political party. But right now many members admit they’re rattled as Nigel Farage and Reform surge in the polls.
At this year’s conference, I asked grassroots members: how do we beat them? These were the six best answers.
Remember who we are
Ruth Betson is a communications manager and former Conservative councillor who lives in Cambridgeshire.
She said: “Part of the reason that Reform has got traction is because we lost our way.”
Ruth says that the answer is simple – remember who the party is and “fight the fight”.
She added: “We are here for the long term and that’s because we fundamentally believe in Conservativism.”
Sell the product to the young
Phillip Taylor, 71, from Richmond, is a practising barrister in the family courts. His approach is to focus on the party’s younger membership – something that Nigel Farage has excelled at.
He said: “We need to explain what our policies are to a younger generation of voters.
“How are we going to get younger people to understand? It’s actually a product that you’re selling.”
Stop mentioning Nigel Farage altogether
Adam Branton, 53, is a Conservative councillor who lives in Rochdale and works in the pharmaceutical industry. His advice is super simple.
He said: “We need to stop mentioning Nigel Farage and Reform – any publicity is good publicity.
“I always think that the Conservatives are the bedrock when it comes to policy – the other parties are just writing in the water.”
Wait for Reform to implode
Trevor Cessford, 67, is a retired fireman and teacher and is currently a Conservative councillor in Northumberland.
He also had very plain advice for how the Conservatives can win out.
He said: “Our best chance is if he beats himself – if they get into power and don’t do things very well.”
Bank on Farage getting bored
Nick Oliver, 59, is a business owner and a fellow Northumberland Conservative councillor, and he agreed that waiting it out is a very real tactic.
He said: “The prospect is that he’s going to get bored and there are a lot of people speculating that he doesn’t actually want to be Prime Minister.
“On the other hand, we need to keep doing what we are doing and come up with sensible and well-worked-out ideas.”
Channel anger into delivery
At 23, Jack Symon, a father of two, is a younger member of the party. He’s a Conservative councillor and lives in Teesside. He offers some common-sense advice on how to win the battle of ideas.
He said: “Reform is winning on anger, not answers. Our task is to channel that frustration into constructive conservatism: showing that while others shout from the sidelines, we’re the ones actually fixing the system. The most important thing from now until the General Election is discipline of message and visible delivery.”
He added: “Every campaigner, every minister, every candidate must be able to say in plain English: ‘Here’s what we’ve done. Here’s what’s changing. Here’s what happens next if you back us’.”