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For most of us in the Conservative Party, the 2017 General Election was one of the darkest and most disappointing days we had ever been through. Since then, there have been many more. In its

aftermath, the Prime Minister vowed to rebuild bridges with young people, who had rejected her platform in record numbers. The next generation, she declared, should always have it better

than the last. Since then, you could be forgiven for thinking that little has been done to deliver on that pledge. In last week’s European elections, young people again turned away from our

Party. While the Conservatives and the Brexit Party won around 40% of the vote, only one in four young people said that they would vote for either party, with Labour, the Liberal Democrats

and the Greens winning almost double the support among those aged 16-34. This failure to win over young people doesn’t just present a serious electoral challenge for our Party – it also cuts

us off from potential members and activists who would breathe new life into our Associations. That is why so many young Conservatives will have been delighted to see Matt Hancock launch his

campaign to be the Leader of our Party and our next Prime Minister, calling for a “generational shift” in order to re-connect with their peers. Going after the votes of young people and

young families is often written off as an impossible exercise – the politics of that generation, we are told, is driven by opposition to Brexit and a rejection of the status quo. But while

young people are statistically less likely to have voted for Brexit, it is clearly not a deal breaker – in 2017, nearly 90% of under-30s voted for a party that pledged to leave the European

Union. In fact, recent research has demonstrated that the ideas most likely to resonate with young people are profoundly Conservative ones. In a piece last week announcing his campaign in

The Sun, Matt Hancock called for lower taxation, allowing younger workers and families to keep more of what they earn. Polling by the think tank Onward shows that young people are more

likely than other generations to support lower taxes, with 63% backing the policy and 58% supportive of fiscally responsible government. Although, for many, it can seem at times like

capitalism isn’t working, the route to restoring their faith in the system is clear. A report for the IEA’s Freer initiative showed that rising wages and the ability to buy a home were the

top things that would make people more favourable to a market economy. Without demonstrating that only our Party will make that possible, we will continue to lose ground. It is clear then

that the question of who should lead our Party is not just about the next election – it’s about the next generation. In setting out a positive vision for the future, and driving to occupy

the centre-ground in British politics, not its extremes, Matt Hancock has shown that he can find support from voters, young and old. The issues of home ownership, education, employment, the

environment and countless others have been put on the back burner while we focus on questions of customs and the constitution. It is no wonder that voters worried about the former have lost

interest in a Party that seems to only talk about the latter. Although the terms of our departure from the European Union will likely be the focus of this leadership election as well, it is

vital we avoid continuing to treat voters as though it is the only issue that they care about. Whoever becomes our next Prime Minister will have to show that they have answers to the most

pressing questions of domestic policy, from Brexit and beyond. To truly move forward as a Party and as a country, we must have a Prime Minister and a Cabinet that can regain the trust of

young people and campaign energetically for the issues that affect them the most.