‘I’m going to hold my nose and vote Conservative’

'A vote for Reform will let Labour in to ruin the country,' one Telegraph reader says - Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

As the British public awaits an announcement on the date of the next general election, conservative voters are weighing up their options at the polls.

Many, including Telegraph readers, are giving their vote to Reform UK in an effort to send a strong message of disappointment to the Conservative Party’s current leadership.

Others, however, believe that a vote for Richard Tice’s party would merely consolidate a Labour majority, due to the nature of the voting system.

Tim Stanley pondered the question in his column this week, and readers took to the comments section to explain why they are giving the Tories another chance despite their dissatisfaction with the party’s record.

‘Politics is like football – you support a team and that’s the end of it’

Although many Telegraph readers feel neglected by the Conservative Party, some defend the Tories.

Reader Andy Crowe will be voting Conservative based on his values that “you support a team and that’s the end of it, even if you’re not keen on the current squad”.

He added that the party “needs someone of Mrs Thatcher’s calibre leading them in opposition with some proper heavyweight support, which means a cull in the current Cabinet, I suspect”.

JM, another reader, argued: “If you believe in aspiration, free enterprise, balanced budgets, social policies that are based on common sense, and individual freedom and responsibility, you have to keep voting Conservative, even if you think the Conservatives have let down those beliefs.”

After the coronavirus lockdown and the Ukraine-Russia war, JM insisted: “What’s called for is a bit of ‘fight’ in the Tory ranks.” They noted these events had “a chronic impact on our resilience as a nation”, causing disruption and inflation.

“Now we are coming out, finally, of those crises, but the lockdowns have sapped our collective health and work ethic and Russia hasn’t gone away.

“The coming election is not lost, but even the next one after that may be lost if the Conservative Party doesn’t go on the offensive.”

Similarly, reader Neil Hannay argued that Covid “severely damaged many aspects of society” and feared “how Labour would have fared”.

He concluded: “I have no idea what Labour policies are going forward so until I do, I’m going to hold my nose and vote Conservative. Not voting is a lame response.”

‘Putting Keir Starmer in power is too much of a risk’

On Monday, Rishi Sunak warned the public that they will be less safe if they vote for Labour and some Telegraph readers agreed, fearing what a Labour majority could mean for Britain’s future.

Reader David Boyd described how he feels “physically sick at the thought of a Labour government and incredibly angry that the Conservatives have wasted their time these last four years”.

He explained that a vote for Reform under the current voting system will “let Labour in to ruin the country”.

According to David, the idea of having “David Lammy as foreign secretary, Wes Streeting running the NHS, Rachel Reeves running off to the IMF when she runs out of money” is unthinkable and so he is “reluctantly” giving the Conservatives “their last chance”.

‘A vote for Reform will do nothing’

Although some readers acknowledge that voting Reform UK could be more in line with their values, many also fear that such a protest vote would pave the way for Labour to win a landslide majority.

Reader Nicholas Hazelton, who said he is “terrified at the prospect of a Keir Starmer government”, outlined a worst-case scenario in the event of a substantial defection from the Conservatives to Reform.

He said: “Those who want to see the Tories given a good kicking may feel good on election night but they’ll have five years and possibly longer to repent.

“I know a vote for Reform will do nothing, the local and by-elections prove they won’t win a single seat.”

Sharing a similar sentiment, Hc Rob argued: “Putting Mr Starmer in power is too much of a risk for my grandchildren’s future that l cannot in all good conscience use a protest vote as intended.”

‘People who don’t vote are throwing away an opportunity’

Many readers agreed with Nigel Farage’s comments that Labour and the current Tories are equally unpalatable to voters, which could seriously affect turnout at the forthcoming general election.

Yet overall, abstaining from voting or spoiling the ballot were not popular options with Telegraph readers.

As reader Sylvia Palmer put it: “People who don’t vote are throwing away an opportunity to change things and damning those of us who don’t want Labour to be in control for four years.”

However, those intending to stick with the Tories also demand a substantial change in the party’s line, particularly on issues such as immigration, tax and defence.

Reader Hedley Shannon believes that the Tories could take a leaf from the Reform book, arguing that “Reform was nowhere until Rishi Sunak put Suella Braverman out of the Cabinet”.

In Mr Shannon’s view, putting figures who represent the Right wing of the party, such as Ms Braverman, back in the Cabinet and negotiating an electoral pact with Reform would prevent the Right-wing vote from splitting.

Reader John Bidmead put forward the notion that “we need one party to say that they are going to encourage and reward ambition while at the same time tackling and reducing the massively unsustainable benefits and welfare Bill”.

M Hope echoed this sentiment, arguing that lowering tax and immigration “will define who is going to be the next prime minister”.

To conclude, many Telegraph readers acknowledged that their voting intentions do not stem from a genuine approval of the Conservative Party’s current policies.

As Richard Morgan put it, for many voting, Conservative is “the only sensible choice despite how utterly dreadful this Government has been. Anyone else – which rationally will only be Labour – will be far, far worse.”

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