General election 2024: meet the 21-year-old student who is standing to become a Tory MP

While the date - 6 May 2010 - is fundamental in British history, it is also fundamental in the memory of Isaac Howarth, a 21-year-old university graduate who is now hoping to become a Tory MP in Sheffield Hallam in 2024. 

“I came home from school and my grandfather was furious, because Labour had left government with a note that said ‘there’s no money left’,” Howarth tells me, as we sit down in a Sheffield pub. The infamous note referred to is that from Liam Byrne, Chief Secretary to the treasury under Gordan Brown. “It’s the first political memory that I ever had; I was seven years old,” Howarth says. He explains that this moment pushed him towards the Conservatives, even though, in the intervening years, most of his peers have moved towards Labour and the Green Party.

Conversely, I wonder if on 4 July, some grandfathers of 7-year-olds will tell them about how the Conservative 14-year economic record has gone. Maybe tales of austerity and Liz Truss are at the ready to inspire future parliamentary candidates. 

‘Sheffield Hallam is a fantastic constituency’

As a 21-year-old in the 2024 general election, Howarth will be one of the youngest candidates in the UK, and certainly one of the youngest Tories. I began by asking him, while other university graduates want to go travelling or are planning their futures, why does he want to go into Parliament? Personally, I could not think of anything worse. He tells me: “Sheffield Hallam is a fantastic constituency… there’s a real diversity. I’d be privileged to serve the people of Hallam.”

To gain the seat, Howarth must go against the majority in his age group and convince them about conservatism—a tall order in Hallam. Students have long had a great influence on the constituency, unceremoniously dumping Nick Clegg out after the Liberal Democrats broke their tuition fee promise in the coalition government.  

Clegg was replaced by Labour's Jared O'Mara, who was so surprised he won that he hadn't even brought suit for his acceptance speech. O'Mara only made three spoken contributions in the House of Commons during his two-and-a-half years as an MP, and was jailed for four years for trying to fraudulently claim tens of thousands of pounds to fund a cocaine habit. Now Labour's Olivia Blake is the incumbent.

‘I really think Gen Z need better representation in politics’

“I’ve lived in Sheffield my whole adult life, although I was born in Manchester,” Howarth says. “I really think that Gen Z need representation in politics. I also think that as a state-educated Conservative, I’ve got a responsibility to represent quite a lot of people and give them a better form of representation than the current crop.”  What does Howarth want for Hallam, I ask? He tells me he is a big advocate that “we need more houses” while “protecting our green spaces”. 

Howarth says his biggest priority is economic stability: “The backbone of the family, of the country, of any policy that you want to pursue is sound economic policy.” I questioned Howarth on this, but he doubled down by saying “without a sound financial backbone, you can’t do anything”. “So, for you” I asked, “economy policy is completely in line with getting public institutions back on their feet?” He replied: “100%. You’ve got to do it as an absolute priority before many social policies as well”. 

To win the seat, Howarth will have to convince his peers to switch party allegiance dramatically. The latest polls indicate a 52-point difference between Conservatives and Labour for 18–24-year-olds. So, I asked Howarth, why do so many of Gen Z today disagree with him regarding Conservatism? “I understand why Gen Z feels alienated from the political spectrum,” he says. 

“But elections are difficult for incumbent parties traditionally and we’ve been through a hell of a five years.” He says this is not due to the Conservatives being disconnected from Gen Z, but because of outside factors such as the Russia-Ukraine War and the Covid Pandemic. However, He tells me “Gen Z are not feeling connected with Labour either”. The polls simply “indicate that people at the moment would vote against the Tories. But they don’t necessarily indicate a huge amount of confidence in Labour.”

Across the world, studies have indicated that Gen Z men are becoming increasingly conservative, while women are becoming more progressive. This is creating a political divide which is having huge impacts - in South Korea the birth rate has dropped to the lowest in the world. With his background and age, Howarth is an archetype for exactly this trend. Could it be that the traditional male values of the past are being threatened today by empowered women. Even though I pushed him multiple times, Howarth was evasive in his answer, perhaps worrying that the straight question had a deeper insinuation which could catch him out.

‘Polarisation is not unique to Conservative politics’

Throughout the interview, Howarth was defensive of conservative values and their record in government. In this, he showed his aptitude to be a politician, even at a young age. Like an experienced campaigner, he was deft at manoeuvring answers into the party’s official response and often it felt almost like CCHQ’s was speaking. However, when I did get him off Conservative messaging, his perspective was interesting - especially when I asked about the anger and apathy in politics at the moment. 

“Polarisation is not unique to Conservative politics”, Howarth thinks. The resurgence of George Galloway and the Dianne Abbot situation prove this, he says. If Labour was in power during the social media revolution, then the young Tory believes it would be similar because “incumbent parties always face those kinds of problems because they’re in the constant eye of the media”. 

While Howarth agreed it was unusual for a 21-year-old to be a Conservative candidate in the election, particularly coming from a Northern background, he believes the role of social media has changed the political climate. “Impartiality and objectivity are not tolerated,” he tells me. “Social media does play a huge role in polarisation and that kind of aggressive politics.”

‘Take a second to see the world through another person’s eyes’

Howarth explains that while he has never personally experienced embarrassment, hate or threats for his Conservative stance, he knows people who have. This, he says, will only discourage potentially brilliant politicians of the future of all beliefs.  I asked if this was only a Gen Z problem? Isaac thought “not entirely”, but says “there is 100% a connection between social media and Gen Z”. How do we solve this? “Meeting people from other parties” he thinks. “Maybe you don’t have to be friends, but take a second to see the world from their eyes and help create a more tolerant style of politics”. Instead, he says “because you can’t sit down and talk to someone… it’s far easier for you to go on social media and say I can’t stand the Conservatives”. 

Hazardous opinions that would have been challenged in pubs 15 years ago now find like-minded voices in the endless refracting echo chambers of social media. These have helped people shout into black holes, and social media now means they get a response and affirmation. There is no middle ground, I say, while militant beliefs are no longer questioned but perpetuated and people can be sheep to their friend’s social media posts. “If your friend likes something, the tendency is to be more lenient to that opinion,” Howarth says.

We agree that the value of democracy dies in the militant tribalism of modern politics. This can be the role of Gen Z - to disagree agreeably. Thus tribalism through social media must be challenged and building bridges across the political spectrum has never been more important.