Tories face huge challenge - 1 thing they must address to get back into power

There is a generational civil war taking place involving those that have lived much of their life and those that have it stretching out before them. It can be neatly summed up as Boomers versus Zoomers. Let me explain.

The Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. This generation is mostly benefitting from a state pension that enjoys the protection of a triple lock - a guarantee that the pension increases each year in line with either inflation, wage increases or 2.5% - whichever is the highest. Many Boomers have also done extremely well out of the property market in their lives. They have seen the value of their homes increase significantly as they were able to buy relatively cheaply in the seventies and eighties.

Boomers might also be enjoying additional income from stocks or shares having benefitted from the privatisation explosion of the 1980/90s and they could also be reaping the rewards of paying into a private pension for much of their working lives.

Or as a Zoomer of my acquaintance describes them: "Sitting in a big house with no mortgage, two cars, shopping for their dinner at Waitrose or Marks & Spencer every day and enjoying two cruises a year, whilst I struggle to find a room to rent somewhere decent that I can afford."

Ah, the Zoomers, also known as Generation Z, and born between 1997 and 2012. A group that feels it's hardest hit by unaffordable housing, weak wage growth and stagnating living standards. It is fair to say the Zoomers I know do not just have a chip on their shoulder, they have a whole sack of spuds.

They feel that Boomers have it all and that politicians need to start changing things to benefit younger generations, so they can get on the property ladder, afford to start a family and feel secure.

For their part, the Boomers seem to think that Zoomers complain too much and just need to crack on with life as they did when they were that age. Politically, this can be challenging as any political party needs to find a way economically to appeal to both groups.

The issue of the triple lock looms large in this debate as it should with a projected annual cost of £15.5billion by 2030, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.

At last week's Conservative Party conference, Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride made it clear that his party would not be scrapping the triple lock which will keep the Conservative core vote of those aged over 65 happy.

But he also pledged to give young people a "first-job bonus" for those starting their first full-time position who would receive a £5,000 National Insurance rebate to put towards buying a home. This is a step in the right direction designed to appeal to a new and younger kind of Tory voter as was Kemi Badenoch's surprise announcement of scrapping stamp duty when buying a home.

The party is under no illusion that without getting a chunk of the Zoomer vote, it will struggle to achieve a significant parliamentary presence in the future.

Nigel Farage's Reform UK currently enjoys support from both Boomers and Zoomers as they both feel that 'Britain is broken' but for different reasons. Boomers from the perspective that the country is not what it was, whilst Zoomers just feel their generation is treated unfairly.

Reform has yet to take a position on keeping the triple lock or outline any solidly costed economic plans, whereas Labour and the Liberal Democrats have both committed to keeping the triple lock in place.

Aside from the triple lock, any political party needs to have a raft of policies that appeal across the generational spectrum. Younger voters need to feel they are understood with policies that will help them get on in life. Older voters need to feel valued and protected.

The easy wins for any political party are policies that appeal to both groups around their cultural and social values, but this will only go so far.

To successfully grab votes from both Boomers and Zoomers, a political party must show they have economic policies that benefit both, whilst also balancing the books which is where Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK are currently lacking.

The Tories got off to a good start last week but now face the big challenge of changing the perception of their party from one of only being for 'old people' to one that can provide solid solutions to address the problems of the Zoomer generation. They also need to be heard and rebuild trust. Get all this right and they may start to reap the electoral rewards.