Theresa May warned by policy chief Tories risk being defined as party of 'nostalgia' and 'lazy privilege'

The Conservative Party risks being “defined as a narrow party of nostalgia” and “lazy privilege” unless it shows it has learnt the lessons of the general election, the Tories’ policy chief has warned Theresa May.

George Freeman, who until the election was the chairman of the Number 10 Policy Board and is in charge of the influential Conservative Policy Forum,  said the party needed to “move fast” to re-position itself and win over young voters.

The remarks were contained in a letter sent to Mrs May by the MP for Mid-Norfolk in September, according to the Politics Home website.

Downing Street insisted that Mrs May did not agree with Mr Freeman’s characterisation of the party.

In the letter Mr Freeman wrote: "We are now in a new battle of ideas which is reshaping 21st century politics.

“We need to move fast to show that the Conservative Party has learnt the lessons of the last election and is serious about intellectual, organisational and cultural renewal.

"If we allow ourselves to be defined as a narrow party of nostalgia, hard Brexit, public sector austerity and lazy privilege we risk alienating ourselves from an entire new generation of voters."

Mr Freeman has been a vocal advocate for change within the party after its disastrous general election which saw Mrs May throw away the Conservatives’ majority in the House of Commons.

The policy board he chaired was wound down after the June 8 poll but as the chairman of the Conservative Policy Forum, which is based at the party’s headquarters, Mr Freeman is the Tories’ most senior backbench MP with a policy role.

He has challenged the party to do more to increase the influence of grassroots members in the policy making process.

He hit the headlines earlier this year when he organised a one day festival of ideas - dubbed a "Tory Glastonbury" - designed to help the party renew its policies and make an improved offer to young voters.

There has been a wider push within the party do more to appeal to younger voters who flocked to Jeremy Corbyn at the general election and helped Labour to a set of better-than-expected results.

Asked if Mrs May agreed with Mr Freeman’s characterisation of the party, a Downing Street spokesman said: “No.”

The spokesman insisted that the Government offered voters a “broad and ambitious project both domestically and internationally”.