PA
Sajid Javid’s announcement that his impending Budget is likely to be full of tax cuts for high earners should come as no surprise to those who have been keeping a close eye on the Conservative Party’s movements since Theresa May was ousted.
The election of Boris Johnson has sparked a right-wing coup of the party, with hard-line heavyweights such as Dominic Cummings, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Priti Patel now firmly in charge of future policy.
A hard break from the European Union now looks more likely than ever as the party’s leaders look to pay back the donors and members who installed them to deliver Brexit at all costs.
The same influential bunch are also likely to be rewarded with tax cuts aimed at the most wealthy in society and a general erosion of the welfare system that helps the most vulnerable.
But while there may be plenty of back slapping right now, the new direction is likely to take a sledge hammer to their voter base.
New polling data suggests one in three Conservative Remainers now say they’ll vote Lib Dems in a future election.
Indeed, the trend is such that former Conservative voters could be rivalling Labour to Lib Dem switchers as the biggest source of new support, even though Labour is haplessly confused over its own position.
Meanwhile Tory MP John Penrose struck a note this week when he told activists at a fringe event that the system is clearly not “working well enough” for ordinary people and has not been since the financial crash.
“Pretty soon everyone under 40 will feel like the system is a conspiracy and it is a conspiracy against them,” he said, and he has a point.
A voter map released last year shows Britain bathed in a hue of red if only 18-24 year-olds were allowed to vote.
Using polling data it found Labour would take a massive 600 seats from the youngest voters if there was a General Election tomorrow, whilst the Conservatives would be left without any.
The results may well overegg a more complex reality, but the picture is certainly telling.
Amongst young voters the Conservatives are becoming political Marmite, and with a new hard-right stance on Brexit and the role of the state, we may find it is a trend that now spans all generations.
