The LRB Podcast On Politics: The Death of the Conservative Party?
24 snips
Oct 1, 2025 
Join Henry Hill, Deputy Editor at Conservative Home, and Sir Anthony Seldon, esteemed historian and author, as they dissect the challenges facing the Conservative Party. They delve into Kemi Badenoch's struggles as a leader, the party's failure to attract younger voters, and the impact of economic insecurity on conservative appeals. Seldon reflects on the need for a visionary leader amid leadership failures, while both guests ponder the future of the party as it potentially faces extinction by 2034.
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Leader Unsuited To Opposition
- Kemi Badenoch is ill-suited to an opposition role because she avoids media battle and visibility.
- Henry Hill argues leadership now demands an active media presence to rebuild the party's standing.
Party Lost The Voter Pipeline
- The Conservatives stopped manufacturing new conservative voters and became a party of older cohorts.
- Henry Hill links this failure to shrinking aspiration, housing unaffordability and lost routes into conservatism.
Still Room For A Modern Centre‑Right
- There is scope for a coherent 21st‑century centre-right response on immigration, universities and spending.
- Henry Hill believes Conservatives still lead on economic management in polling despite their decline.
