An October election could benefit the Conservatives by limiting the number of students on the electoral register, Boris Johnson’s campaign team have reportedly admitted.
According to The Times, the Prime Minister’s aides said that if a general election is called next month, this could limit the time available for students to register to vote.
During the private conversations, the Prime Minister’s advisors added students would be unlikely to return home and vote if they were on the electoral roll at their home address.
The 2017 general election saw a large turnout in younger voters, many of which flocked to support Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party, partly causing the then Prime Minister Theresa May to lose her majority and resulting in a hung parliament.
Boris Johnson has said in recent weeks that he believes a general election is the only way out of the Brexit impasse and has repeatedly said that he would refuse to seek an extension to Brexit despite a law passed by parliament mandating him to do so.
Over a million people have registered to vote since Johnson became prime minister in July, and there is likely to be a big push to get students on the electoral roll if he is successful in forcing a general election.
At the last general election Labour promised to scrap tuition fees, and the party has recently blasted student debt as “eye-watering.”
According to figures from think tank Onward, just 28 per cent of the general student population will even consider voting Conservative, and only then 16 per cent actually do.
