The three charts that show why the Tories are failing to appeal to young people

Theresa May on day three of the annual Conservative Party conference. (Carl Court/Getty Images)After just 20% of 18-24-year-olds voted Conservative in the 2017 General Election, compared to 64% for Labour, the Tories have launched into an effort to woo young voters.

At this year’s Conservative Party Conference Theresa May has announced a string of policies aimed to tempt the youth vote away from Jeremy Corbyn, including a freeze on student fees and additional help for first-time buyers.

Chancellor Philip Hammond opened the conference with a speech promising that Tory policies would make young people better off than their parents.

But a glance at the speakers on the main agenda at the conference may go some way to explain the party’s failure to attract young voters.

Pale, male and stale

Of the 27 speakers on the main agenda at the conference, 24 were white and three were non-white.

Given that 73% of BME voters cast their ballots for Labour, giving the party a six-point boost with this particular group, this lack of diversity may well prove an issue for Theresa May’s mission to win voters.

A paltry 22% of the speakers on the main bill were women.

According to a 2016 poll by the Fawcett Society, 19-24-year-olds are the most likely age group to identify themselves as feminists, and a 2017 survey found that more than two thirds of teenage girls say that they are feminists.

The age distribution of speakers at the Tory Party Conference was another indicator of the party’s inability to appeal to the youth vote.

No speakers under 30 were on the main bill, and just one under-40 made it onto the bill.

Eight speakers were between the ages of 40 and 49, 12 were between the ages of 50 and 59, and six were between the ages of 60 and 69.