Younger voters will never back ‘anti-EU and populist’ Tories, ex-cabinet ministers warn

Michael Heseltine says Brexit will be ’high on the agenda’ if Liz Truss loses general election

The Tories will never win back younger voters as an anti-Europe and populist party, former cabinet ministers have warned – as they called for trade links with EU to be rebuilt.

Michael Heseltine said the mistakes from Brexit will be “high on the agenda” if Liz Truss loses the next general election, predicting “a new agenda to appeal to a younger generation”,

David Gauke predicted a bleak long-term future for the Conservatives, warning it was struggling to appeal to “people born after 1960” even before the botched mini-budget crashed its poll ratings in recent days.