Only Conservative Party members may vote on who will be its next leader and so become Britain’s next prime minister. But who are they, and how do they differ from the rest of the country?
does not disclose details about its members. But Professor Paul Webb of the University of Sussex, along with two of his colleagues, has been collecting data on the membership of Britain’s political parties through regular surveys. The most recent, completed in January 2020, revealed that the average Tory member fits the party’s stereotype neatly: they are more male, older, whiter, richer and better educated than the wider electorate.
Their views on economic issues differ markedly from the rest of the country. Nearly half agree with the statement that “ordinary working people get their fair share of the nation’s wealth”. Just 17% of the wider electorate answered the same. Similarly, 20% of Tory members agree that there is “one law for the rich and one for the poor”; the figure for voters of all persuasions is 63%.
But on social issues the Tories hew closer to the rest of the country. Around 40% of members and half of the wider electorate agree that the “censorship of films and magazines is necessary to uphold moral standards”. Similarly, about half of Tory members agree with the statement that “for some crimes, the death penalty is the most appropriate sentence”. The figure for the electorate is 47%.
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