𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

When you think of your typical Tory party member, I’m sure that certain things come to mind. Older perhaps? A bit of tweed, certainly. And maybe – dare I say it – just a little bit stuffy? Well, that’s exactly the kind of image that Kemi Badenoch is trying to ditch. In her barnstorming speech at the recent Conservative Party Conference, she compared the Tory stereotype to M&S, saying “not so long ago, critics said they were a bit stuffy and stuck in the past” and that “some were even questioning whether the brand would survive”.

So with that in mind, as a Tory-party member – and Conservative councillor – I can tell you that I was astonished by one thing this year at the annual conference…and that was the deluge of young people there. You don’t just need to take my word for it – Kemi herself highlighted that the Young Conservatives (YC) had seen a 50% increase in people attending the conference this year. Remarkable.

As I hopped around, desperately badgering people for quotes, it was the bright young things who were happy to chat and give me their views. I joked with one group of students that they were definitely more articulate than I was at their age, probably more stressed about my quickly diminishing student loan in Topshop than politics. At 44, I also felt practically ancient as I curled up in the hotel bed with a hot chocolate, while the young lot were out partying the night away. Even Kemi took to the DJ decks at their YC shindig.

Forget the hooray-Henry trope too. It wasn’t poshos straight from private schools – they were from all parts of the country and an array of backgrounds. Transport officer Tyler Reeton, 25, is a Conservative council candidate in Knaresborough – and the interim deputy chair of the YC. He told me that the next election will be like “hand-to-hand combat” and added the YC are now showing that they are “the soldiers to do that on the ground”.

And, somewhat pleasingly, it was often the younger members who gave me the most brutal and cutting rebuttals of Nigel Farage and Reform. Joey Gwinn, 23, from London, who works for an MP, compared Nigel Farage’s party to a “good internet scam”.

He said: “They’re offering exactly what I want. That’s the hair growth I want, that’s the snake oil I want. The reality is they say one thing and they do another”.

Meanwhile, student Will Hunter, 20, from Grimsby, kept his summary of Reform savagely succinct, blasting them as “fake”. These are precisely the footsoldiers that Kemi and co. needs to nurture. After all, they can be the ones to convince their mates to challenge what they’re being promised by Reform, Labour and the Greens. And perhaps this is what will become Kemi’s secret weapon – a new generation of Conservatives who are ready to go to battle to fight their party’s corner.

Well, well, well. It seems like there’s an apology on its way. At least according to one well-placed Harry and Meghan insider. And about time too! A recent Express exclusive revealed that the terrible twosome are planning to “eat humble pie” after their Oprah interview. The source said that the pair had finally seen sense over their “low blow” where they claimed a royal member had discussed Prince Archie’s skin colour.

I know that not all readers will agree with – and I do understand that, for some, a leopard never changes its spots. But I firmly believe that everyone makes mistakes, and although damage cannot always be entirely rectified by an apology, a genuinely heartfelt one can help. The pair are also apparently hopeful their children will eventually connect with their cousins, George, Charlotte and Louis, and become friends.

As a parent myself, I can well understand the desire to see that happen. Bonds with cousins are enduring, and time spent with them is often a happy cornerstone of growing up. I would imagine these ties are even more crucial for royal children, who belong to a tiny group of people who understand what it’s like to grow up in the glare of the royal fishbowl.

An apology most certainly won’t undo the damage they’ve inflicted over the last few years. But I think if Harry and Meghan accept that trust will be difficult to regain, admitting where they went wrong is always a good place to start.