Q2C National Committee members Attieh Fard, Jonathan Hulley, Naeha Menon and Andrew Satherley recently flew the flag for the Q2 generation at the recent London and Surrey Conferences held in early February.
Q2C Chairman Attieh Fard reminded London and Surrey delegates that they had proud records of recruiting members, activists and candidates from the Q2 generation, specifically from the 26 to 49 year old category.
This is an important demographic that can help the Conservatives win future elections because 48% of the voting population are aged 26 to 49 years old. The United Kingdom’s median age is 40 but the average age of Conservative voters in 2024 was 63. It is a sobering thought that in 2019 it was 39 years old.
Attieh was clear in her message that in order to win again, the Conservative Party needed to win back the trust and support of the Q2 generation. This would require connecting with, engaging, and ultimately mobilising this age group to the Conservative cause.
An extract of her speech to the Conferences is set out below:
"Many of you, if not all, knocked on doors or spoke to people on the phone in the lead-up to the 2024 General Election. Some of you, like me, may have heard young parents say that they had voted Conservative all their lives but not this time—that while they liked the idea of national service, they did not want it for their own children.
You may have also attended an association event and wondered: Where are the parents of young children? Where are the young entrepreneurs?
About 48% of the UK’s voting population is aged 25–49—people with young families or those building their businesses. The UK’s median age is 40. The average age of a Conservative voter in 2019 was 39, but in 2024, it was 63.
We have, therefore, lost the trust of almost half of the voting-age population.
That is why Q2 Conservatives was set up—to win back the trust of this age group, to connect with them, engage them, and mobilise them once again.
If we fail to do this, we will not be able to win future elections.
Connecting
Connecting starts with finding shared values. Our Conservative values matter to this age group. We are the party of aspiration, and people in this demographic want to grow—whether in their businesses, careers, or family lives. They want to move from a flat to a house, provide stability for their children, and build a better future. We need to improve at communicating how our core values align with their ambitions.
Engaging
Engagement is the next step. I recently spoke with a young man in my area, where I am standing as a County Council candidate. He told me that, at heart, he is a Conservative. However, he voted Liberal Democrat because the only person who knocked on his door was from the Liberal Democrats.
Engaging with this age group—listening to their concerns and asking for their views—is imperative. At the time, I didn’t have one of these leaflets with me, but I told him about Q2 Conservatives’ vision. He was excited and said he would visit our website.
We have brought many of these leaflets today. You can use them to engage with people on doorsteps. We will run networking events, surveys, and campaigns to strengthen these connections. We can reach and engage this age group.
Mobilising
Finally, we need to mobilise them—to vote Conservative and to join us as members.
By this point, we will have done the hard work of rebuilding trust. The next step is helping them find ways to contribute. They can get involved by sharing policy ideas, supporting issue-based campaigns, seeing the impact of their work, and feeling encouraged. They might also benefit from exclusive membership perks, training, and opportunities to develop within the party.
Most importantly, they need to feel that they belong in this party.
This age group is time-poor. Our events, communication methods, and engagement opportunities must reflect that—they are likely to be busy during working hours and family time.
Q2 Conservatives is committed to helping associations connect with, engage, and mobilise this age group. Initially founded in Surrey Heath in 2019, the programme expanded to Surrey after positive feedback. Thanks to committed and visionary party members, we launched it nationally last year.
We now have a fantastic team of councillors, party leaders, parliamentary candidates, and members. Cllr Jonathan Hully, Andrew Satherley from Kingston, Nathan Menon, Peter Smallwood (our patron), Julian Ellacote, and others have all worked hard to turn our vision into reality.
Please reach out to them. Take these leaflets for your associations. Connect with us—so that together, we can win back the trust of this age group and win future elections."
Jonathan participated in Conservative Policy Forum sessions held at both Conferences.
Jonathan, who is a senior housing lawyer by profession, concentrated his Q2 generation policy pitches on how to solve the housing crisis, and in particular how to help 26 to 49 years old get on the property ladder. Jonathan was clear that positioning the Conservative Party as the party of aspiration, and supporting the Q2 generation who aspire to own their own home, the party can win back the trust and support of that generation.
