Harry Curtis and Rue Grewal: Why aspiration must return to the heart of Conservatism

Harry Curtis is Hertfordshire Area Chair and Eastern Region Coordinator for the Young Conservatives. Rue Grewal is a Three Rivers District Councillor and Deputy Chair of Hertfordshire Conservatives Area Management Executive.

“We must make it clear that the real division in our country is not between classes or regions, but between those who are prepared to work and those who are not.”
— Margaret Thatcher, 1983

In 1979, Margaret Thatcher led the Conservative Party back to power with a simple promise: to restore Britain’s spirit by restoring its people’s ability to rise. She spoke not only to enterprise or economics, but to the human desire for dignity, ownership, and progress. She gave voice to a generation of strivers — and reshaped British politics.

Today, we are at another inflection point. Aspiration — once the moral heartbeat of modern Conservatism — is flickering. And if we do not reignite it, we risk losing the next generation of voters, and with them, the soul of the Party.

Aspiration is not envy, nor entitlement. It is the belief that every person, regardless of background, has the capacity to achieve something meaningful, if given the freedom and the opportunity to do so.

Conservatism, at its best, has always understood this. From Disraeli’s “elevation of the condition of the people” to Baldwin’s vision of “a property-owning democracy”, and Churchill’s defence of individual liberty as “the parent of virtue” — Conservatives have long grasped that the state exists to empower citizens, not enclose them.

Thatcher brought this to life. Her reforms — from Right to Buy and shareholder capitalism to the Enterprise Allowance Scheme — were not about enriching the few. They were about enfranchising the many. She saw aspiration not as an economic lever, but as a moral one:

“I don’t think there is such a thing as entitlement, unless someone has first met an obligation.”

She trusted the British people to do just that. So should we.

Fast forward to 2025, and the ladder of opportunity Thatcher helped build is buckling. Young people are not less ambitious — but they are increasingly disconnected from the Conservative story, and a generation is losing faith.

• Homeownership is now a pipe dream for many under 35.
• University leaves graduates with debt but no direction.
• Wages stagnate while taxes rise — especially for younger workers.
• Starting a business involves navigating bureaucracy, regulation, and red tape.

This generation still believes in personal success — but they no longer believe that the system, or the state, is on their side. As one 24-year-old recently told me: “I work hard. I save. I rent. I vote. But I’m still not allowed to own anything.”

That is a Conservative failure, not just a political one, but a philosophical one. If we cannot give those who play by the rules a stake in the country, someone else will offer them a scapegoat.

The Conservative Policy Forum (CPF) is the perfect vehicle to lead this generational renewal. It is more than a think tank. It is a bridge between grassroots insight and national policy — and it can become the intellectual engine room of a new aspirational conservatism.

We need a national CPF programme focused entirely on aspiration, including: housing, education, enterprise, and local empowerment. Each policy area should be guided by two questions:

1. Does this policy empower people to stand on their own two feet?
2. Does it reward effort and responsibility, or undermine it?

This is not just good politics. It is sound Conservative principle.

“Conservatism is not so much a philosophy as an attitude, a constant force, performing a timeless function in the development of a free society.”
— Sir Roger Scruton

That attitude — of empowering people, not managing them — must once again define our offer to Britain’s youth.

Here is what a modern CPF-led Conservative aspiration agenda could look like.

Ownership for All

• A modern Right to Buy 2.0 for long-term renters in the private sector.
• Support shared equity models that help first-time buyers build a stake — not just take out debt.
• Legalise modular and community self-build homes on underused public land.

Reform Education Around Character and Purpose

• Expand non-academic pathways like digital apprenticeships and coding academies.
• Reinvent civic education around entrepreneurship, responsibility and leadership.
• Replace the university “conveyor belt” with genuine lifelong learning incentives.

Work That Rewards

• Lower marginal tax rates for under-30s earning below £40,000.
• Simplify NI to reward work and reduce stealth taxation.
• Reintroduce a 21st-century Enterprise Allowance Scheme — to fund new startups with purpose.

 Rebuild Civic Capital

• Establish Local Leadership Trusts to fund youth-led community projects.
• Give local people first rights to invest in and co-own high street regeneration.
• Fund community organising and neighbourhood leadership schemes through CPF grants.

In 1979, Margaret Thatcher won a generation because she spoke to their hopes, not their habits. She offered moral clarity, not technocratic compromise. She met their ambition with belief — and matched their work ethic with opportunity.

If we want to win again — and build again — we must do the same. To win their votes, we must deserve their trust.

This is not about pandering to youth. It is about partnering with them to build a new Conservative vision rooted in freedom, fairness, and the future.

Let aspiration be our message. Let CPF be our engine. And let the Conservative Party once again be the party that believes in people more than in systems — and proves it with policy.

“We were not put on this earth to see through one another. We were put on this earth to see one another through.”
— Margaret Thatcher

It’s time we saw the next generation through.

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