As the Conservatives aim for a record fourth term at this General Election – albeit on their fifth Prime Minister – they are having to be seriously creative to see off accusations that they’ve ran out of ideas. 

As the saying goes, politicians campaign in poetry and govern in prose, so we shouldn’t expect too much granular detail in the weeks to come. This election, already shaping up to be a ‘presidential’ campaign between the leaders of the two major parties, will be as much about how voters feel about the choice in front of them as hard-headed analysis of what it will mean for them.  

Emblematic of this to date was the announcement of mandatory national service for 18-year-olds, which can be reasonably stated to have triggered either robust national conversation or genuine outrage, depending on your view. An opinion poll after the announcement found that the gap between the Conservatives and Labour narrowed, which is enough to make Tory strategists believe that they can turn the ship round with a string of attention-grabbing policies in the run up to polling day. But that’s just one poll amongst many that tell a different story. 

As would be expected from a party with a long record in power, the Conservatives are facing challenges from every angle. To combat electoral threats from both left and right, newsworthy policy pledges will be rolled out throughout the campaign.  

The following section looks at potential policies which the Conservatives might announce to hold its electoral coalition together. We’ve focused on the Red Meat, policies that will be designed to attract Reform-minded Tories; the Red Wall, policies that will be designed to retain traditional Labour voters; and the Blue Wall policies that will be designed to see off the threat from the Liberal Democrats.  

Red Meat 

Rishi Sunak has already ruled out a debate with Nigel Farage on immigration, but the veteran political agitator has made it clear that he will be a thorn in the side for Sunak throughout the campaign. While Reform looks unlikely to win any seats in the election, they do have the capacity to take votes in traditional Conservative areas, potentially clearing the way for other candidates. To win these voters over, the Conservatives may have to adopt so called ‘red meat’ positions on various policy issues to show that they are a clearly right-of-centre party. 

Potential policies to entice Reform-minded voters could include: 

• A further roll-back on Net Zero timelines as part of the ‘Pragmatic Net Zero’ approach unveiled in September 2023 
• Caps on net legal migration, with further limits on carer, student and dependents’ visas 
• The introduction of Stamp Duty Land Tax exemptions for older people 
• Raising the thresholds for access to unemployment benefits 
• Cuts to ‘woke’ roles in the public sector 

A potential red meat curveball (that would certainly generate all the right headlines):  

• Propose a referendum on leaving the European Court of Human Rights 

Red Wall 

Since Boris Johnson’s landslide victory in 2019, the Conservatives hold many seats in the North of England previously represented by Labour for decades. Beyond the “Get Brexit Done” mantra, these areas were also targeted with the levelling up agenda which aimed to reduce regional inequality. However, many voters in these constituencies – having lent their vote to Boris Johnson’s Conservatives – may choose to return to Labour unless Sunak can demonstrate that he’s still on their side. 

Potential policies to attract Red Wall voters could include: 

• A ‘Bonfire’ of EU-era regulations 
• Giving further powers to local authorities to rejuvenate high streets and town centres 
• Introducing more occupational colleges and apprenticeships for school leavers 
• Cracking down on anti-social behaviour 
• Raising VAT registration thresholds for small businesses 

Curveball: Delay the Net Zero transition in fossil fuel and energy intensive industries to protect jobs. 

Blue Wall 

The Liberal Democrats are enjoying a polling boost across the country. But this bounce is particularly pronounced in the South East and South West of England, regions the Conservatives have usually relied upon to fill the green benches. Many relatively affluent voters, disenchanted by the outcome of the EU referendum and the Conservatives’ stances on immigration and the environment, are willing to vote for a party closer to the centre of the political spectrum who align with them on hot button topics. 

Possible policies to attract Lib Dem-facing ‘Blue Wallers’ could include: 

• Embracing innovation and competition in the economy to achieve growth 
• Raising the threshold for Inheritance Tax eligibility 
• Granting additional powers to protect the greenbelt from development 
• Protecting the countryside from onshore wind and solar development 
• Major reform of the regulation of water companies on environmental performance, reviving plans to increase the maximum fines for polluters 

Curveball: Cuts to Income Tax and Insurance Premium Tax, or raising the personal allowance  

This list of policies – rumoured to be in consideration – are by no means exhaustive or exclusive to these different groups of voters and, if the national service announcement is anything to go by, there may be surprises yet to come.  

What seems likely to be the case, no matter which pledges make the cut, is that the Conservative manifesto will look very different to the Government’s agenda a few weeks ago.  

For all the policy detail as it’s announced, check out our live General Election Hub here.