Alex Petropoulos is an AI policy analyst for a think tank in Brussels, and a writer and political commentator with Young Voices UK.
The year is 2032. Andy Street, the prime minister, is cutting the ribbon at the opening of HS2 in Birmingham, ahead of schedule and under budget. In his speech, he sets forth his plan for HS3 and HS4, building on his existing growth agenda to power Britain into the 2030s and 2040s.
The wildest part of this fantasy isn’t HS2 being delivered ahead of schedule and under budget. No, it’s the idea that a Tory could stand a chance at properly challenging Sir Keir Starmer on his bid for a second term. Under their current path, chasing populist and anti-establishment policies that sow chaos and stagnation, there is little chance.
But under Street, there lies hope. In 2021, despite being a squishy, woke, Gen Z voter, I voted for him. Despite having voted for Green, Liberal Democrat, and Labour candidates in every other election, I voted for a competent regional champion who embraced housing, transport, and development-driven growth. I voted for a politician I could trust to tackle problems and who delivered on his promises.
Now living abroad, I was denied a chance to vote for the Mayor of the West Midlands, the region I call home in the UK. If given the opportunity, though, I would have been on the fence between Parker and Street.
When debating the two with a friend, we concluded that had Street dropped the Tory brand and run as an independent, we would have happily voted for him. In fact, he would have probably found the 1508 votes he needed to stay on as Mayor of the West Midlands for a third term.
Unfortunately, he didn’t. However, one door closing in the West Midlands opens another in Westminster. By sticking with the Tory brand, Street has opened up an opportunity to shape the future of his party.
Within a year, the Conservatives will have suffered electoral annihilation in Westminster. As a so-called woke centrist, I will be enthusiastically voting Starmer’s Labour in. But in the back of my mind, I have worries about what a “too successful” Labour win would look like.
What happens when the main opposition becomes the Lib Dems and Greens, latching onto nimbyism as their rallying cry to try and drag the country backwards. Even worse, what if a Reform-like conservatism becomes the face of opposition, focusing all scrutiny on the least important problems and offering no real solutions?
A competent opposition is crucial to a functioning British democracy. It pains me to admit, but to keep a Starmer Government accountable and focused on the right priorities, the Tory Party needs saving. Street is the man to do that.
Despite losing his election, he actually had a smaller swing to Labour than Ben Houchen, the sole Tory mayoral survivor from Thursday. Although Street’s popularity wasn’t enough to stave back the national swing to Labour, it should be a sign of the sort of politician the Tories need to win.
In fact, Street has all the characteristics needed stabilise the Conservatives and create the right conditions to challenge Labour in 2029.
Just look at David Cameron, the last Tory Leader to win an election from opposition. He revitalised and reenergised his party, winning 35 per cent of voters aged 25-35 years old.
I would be surprised if the Tories cleared 15 per cent of the youth vote this year, and for good reason. The current brand of Conservatism doesn’t just ignore the youth vote – it shows utter contempt for it. It pushes for policies on housing and pensions that approach acts of intergenerational theft or neglect. “Tory Scum” isn’t an overreaction from Gen Z voters; it’s just treating politicians how they treat us.
However, Street can change that narrative. To win the West Midlands twice, and come within a hair’s length of a hattrick, you need to win the youth vote: half of the region is under 37, and 39 per cent are non-white. When interviewed following his defeat, Street said that “only an inclusive and mainstream Tory party that can win in places like the West Mids”.
This is true on a national picture as well. Street’s brand of conservatism is what’s needed to turn the sinking ship around.
To be clear, now is not the time for a new Conservative prime minister. It’s the time for a new Labour government, and Starmer is the man for the job. However, the country will still need a competent opposition, and the Tories will need to re-evaluate and rebuild to try and contest 2029.
Without following Street, they can kiss goodbye to any electoral relevance this decade. Their best path lies with him.
Alex Petropoulos is an AI policy analyst for a think tank in Brussels, and a writer and political commentator with Young Voices UK.
The year is 2032. Andy Street, the prime minister, is cutting the ribbon at the opening of HS2 in Birmingham, ahead of schedule and under budget. In his speech, he sets forth his plan for HS3 and HS4, building on his existing growth agenda to power Britain into the 2030s and 2040s.
The wildest part of this fantasy isn’t HS2 being delivered ahead of schedule and under budget. No, it’s the idea that a Tory could stand a chance at properly challenging Sir Keir Starmer on his bid for a second term. Under their current path, chasing populist and anti-establishment policies that sow chaos and stagnation, there is little chance.
But under Street, there lies hope. In 2021, despite being a squishy, woke, Gen Z voter, I voted for him. Despite having voted for Green, Liberal Democrat, and Labour candidates in every other election, I voted for a competent regional champion who embraced housing, transport, and development-driven growth. I voted for a politician I could trust to tackle problems and who delivered on his promises.
Now living abroad, I was denied a chance to vote for the Mayor of the West Midlands, the region I call home in the UK. If given the opportunity, though, I would have been on the fence between Parker and Street.
When debating the two with a friend, we concluded that had Street dropped the Tory brand and run as an independent, we would have happily voted for him. In fact, he would have probably found the 1508 votes he needed to stay on as Mayor of the West Midlands for a third term.
Unfortunately, he didn’t. However, one door closing in the West Midlands opens another in Westminster. By sticking with the Tory brand, Street has opened up an opportunity to shape the future of his party.
Within a year, the Conservatives will have suffered electoral annihilation in Westminster. As a so-called woke centrist, I will be enthusiastically voting Starmer’s Labour in. But in the back of my mind, I have worries about what a “too successful” Labour win would look like.
What happens when the main opposition becomes the Lib Dems and Greens, latching onto nimbyism as their rallying cry to try and drag the country backwards. Even worse, what if a Reform-like conservatism becomes the face of opposition, focusing all scrutiny on the least important problems and offering no real solutions?
A competent opposition is crucial to a functioning British democracy. It pains me to admit, but to keep a Starmer Government accountable and focused on the right priorities, the Tory Party needs saving. Street is the man to do that.
Despite losing his election, he actually had a smaller swing to Labour than Ben Houchen, the sole Tory mayoral survivor from Thursday. Although Street’s popularity wasn’t enough to stave back the national swing to Labour, it should be a sign of the sort of politician the Tories need to win.
In fact, Street has all the characteristics needed stabilise the Conservatives and create the right conditions to challenge Labour in 2029.
Just look at David Cameron, the last Tory Leader to win an election from opposition. He revitalised and reenergised his party, winning 35 per cent of voters aged 25-35 years old.
I would be surprised if the Tories cleared 15 per cent of the youth vote this year, and for good reason. The current brand of Conservatism doesn’t just ignore the youth vote – it shows utter contempt for it. It pushes for policies on housing and pensions that approach acts of intergenerational theft or neglect. “Tory Scum” isn’t an overreaction from Gen Z voters; it’s just treating politicians how they treat us.
However, Street can change that narrative. To win the West Midlands twice, and come within a hair’s length of a hattrick, you need to win the youth vote: half of the region is under 37, and 39 per cent are non-white. When interviewed following his defeat, Street said that “only an inclusive and mainstream Tory party that can win in places like the West Mids”.
This is true on a national picture as well. Street’s brand of conservatism is what’s needed to turn the sinking ship around.
To be clear, now is not the time for a new Conservative prime minister. It’s the time for a new Labour government, and Starmer is the man for the job. However, the country will still need a competent opposition, and the Tories will need to re-evaluate and rebuild to try and contest 2029.
Without following Street, they can kiss goodbye to any electoral relevance this decade. Their best path lies with him.