Five months of Tory focus groups show parents like national service plan

Focus groups suggested that parents are concerned about the TikTok generation. Photo: Westend61

Rishi Sunak's military service plan may have taken his own party by surprise, but it took months to develop and is far from a shot in the dark, party insiders say Tory strategists first began canvassing the issue in January and became convinced it was the idea that would win back voters leaning toward reform in Britain.

Unsurprisingly, it was a hit with the older generation, who have fond memories of post-war conscription, but it also appealed to one of its broadest groups: parents.

Feedback from focus groups showed that the modern Daily version of the national The service has been a hit with parents who are concerned their teenagers are unprepared for the world that awaits them and «think they're all going to make a living as TikTokers», one party source said.

The idea of ​​their children being conscripted and sent to war was not appealing, but compulsory weekend service, with a choice between the voluntary sector and the armed forces, appealed to parents the more they discussed it, according to Tory policy. creators.

Parents are concerned their children are spending too much time online, Tory researchers say. Photo: Olga Pankova/Moment RF < p> “Most adults are either parents or want to be parents,” said one conservative source. “So this is a policy that a lot of people will want to spend time thinking about.

“It also means that their children will know about it and will ask them about it, so this policy will become a topic of discussion in people's homes.” .

Simply getting people talking about Conservative policies was part of the plan: after 14 years in government, it was important for Mr Sunak and his team to show they had not yet run out of ideas.

The timing of the announcement so early in the year election campaign and before the announcement of the manifesto, was also chosen deliberately. This is the point in the six-week run-up to an election when attractive policies are likely to have their greatest impact, before the public has become bored with the incessant speeches and campaigning.

So Conservative policies dominating the news over the holiday weekend are being hailed as a victory for the party's election gurus, who are convinced it will translate into improved poll numbers in the coming days.< /p>

Labour's response to the policy, calling it a «ridiculous stunt», is seen by Tory strategists as evidence that Sir Keir Starmer «doesn't want to deal with this» or any other major policy idea because he is «carrying a Ming vase». » in the form of their poll lead and dare not risk breaking it by opposing ideas that might actually resonate with many voters.

The Conservatives justify the return of National Service in three ways: giving young people the skills that will give them best start in life; increase the sustainability of the Armed Forces; and improve social cohesion by bringing together people from different backgrounds and nationalities.

Are young voters alienated?

From a purely political point of view, the Tories need to confront the threat of reform in Britain, and quickly. Party insiders acknowledge that the national service policy, as well as the «triple lock plus» policy aimed at avoiding tax on state pensions, are aimed at voters the Conservatives need to win back. 

It is the pro-Brexit working classes in traditional Labor heartlands who backed Boris Johnson's 2019 election pledge to “get Brexit done.”

Of course, there is a danger that the policy will further alienate young voters who care little about pensions and prefer TikTok to criticism, but the Conservatives have calculated that the benefits will outweigh the losses.

With so much to say, Mr Sunak knows that he can only reap great rewards if he is willing to take great risks.