Blue Beyond recently polled members on their feelings of the 2022 Leadership Election.

Of the 135 Beyonders who responded, 40% backed Liz Truss to be the next Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister and 31% said they would like Rishi Sunak. 9% of Beyonders said they would be spoiling their ballot paper. The majority of Beyonders would have liked to had Kemi Badenoch and Penny Mourdant in the final two. One Beyonder commented:

‘I’m just gutted that Kemi Badenoch didn’t make to the final two. However, I am glad that I have Liz Truss as my fallback option.’

The top five policies that our Beyonders would like to see from the new Leader of the Conservative Party is reforming the NHS, increased house building, tax cuts, lower national insurance for young professionals, and levelling up impoverished areas. One Beyonder commented:  

‘12 years of conservative government and yet it feels like not a lot is done for youth! Youth is politically opinionated not aware... we have enough of youth voices in politics but the real problem is no body is willing to act on our concerns.’

Beyonders expressed their discontent with CCHQ during the Leadership Election. 85% of Beyonders said CCHQ had not done enough to make YC’s voices heard, and 50% of Beyonders said they could not attend the YC lunch time hustings due to being at work. One Beyonder commented:

‘Considering the Youth arm of the party seems to be about 16-35, it seems that this age bracket has been completely missed out on. I mean having the YC hustings at midday on a workday? Seems like it was just a second thought and that was the only time left in the diary’

Mackenzie France, Director of Policy at Blue Beyond said:

‘Youth engagement with the Party is at an unprecedented low. Young people feel alienated by the policies brought in by the Johnson Government, and the misconduct that has occurred. 

‘The majority of our Beyonders prefer Liz Truss over Rishi Sunak. Beyonders want to see more houses built, tax cuts, lower national insurance for young professionals, and levelling up impoverished areas. Young people deserve a candidate that has their best interests at heart.

‘85% of our Beyonders feel like CCHQ has not done enough to amplify young members voices. In previous polling, 78% of Beyonders said they did not feel that policy has young people in mind. We urge whoever the new Leader of the Conservative Party is to start thinking about the young people of this Party.‘

We have provided a summary of polling, however if you would like to see the full data set please get in touch.