Young People have a Problem with Labour, and it is a threat that we cannot ignore.

According to research conducted by YouGov, Labour polled 20% behind the Scottish Green Party among those aged 16-29 at the recent Scottish Parliamentary election. Safe to say, that statistic should set alarm bells ringing across our movement.

I do not believe that young people supported the Greens because they believe in the abolition of prisons, the legalisation of heroin or the concept of breast enlargement through hypnosis. I also don’t believe that their victory was made entirely in Scotland; it came as no surprise that the Scottish Green Party pushed out social media advertisements to young people featuring Zack Polanski, the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales.

Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, came under fire for his previous career decisions. Credit: Greater London Authority

The Scottish Greens offered young people free bus travel, tax rises on wealth and a vision that acknowledged the realities facing a generation burdened by soaring costs, insecure work and the climate crisis, while we offered them apprenticeships, tax cuts for first time buyers and that we weren’t the SNP. Whether the policies that they offered were practical or affordable is clearly beside the point (in fact their manifesto was completely uncosted). It is now clear that elections are no longer won on manifestos alone; they are instead won by convincing people that tomorrow can be better than today. They are won by giving them hope.

For generations, Labour was the only serious party that offered hopeful and radical change in our country, but too often in current times, our offer has been what we oppose, rather than what we wish to achieve. That sentiment should not dismiss the incredible work of Anas Sarwar, Kate Watson and the whole Scottish Labour team, the issue runs far more deeply than any group of people. The fact is, our policy offering was clearly not ambitious enough to inspire a generation that feels locked out of home ownership, anxious about their future and who are increasingly sceptical that traditional politics can improve their lives.

"Too often in current times, our offer has been what we oppose, rather than what we wish to achieve."

Young people are looking for a party that they feel understands the scale of the challenges they face and that match those challenges with an equally ambitious offering to solve them. Labour must be the home for those aspirations. It was our party that created the NHS, expanded the opportunity of education and has transformed the lives of working people across our islands. Yet somewhere along the way, young voters have stopped associating our movement with bold change and instead view us as the status quo.

It is worth remembering too that political loyalties are often formed in youth. If May’s young Green voters grow into lifelong Green voters, make no mistake, sooner rather than later, no leader of our party will step foot in Bute House or Downing Street again.

Prime Minister, Andy Burnham at Prime Minister's Questions. Credit: UK Parliament

The answer cannot be to mimic every policy that the greens churn out or engage in a race for more eye-catching policies. Nor should it be to dismiss the issue as a problem to deal with later and assume young voters are naïve. Instead, our movement must rediscover the confidence to tell a compelling and exciting story about the future. A future that is rooted in social justice, opportunity, and economic security. Moreover, a future that is rooted in hope.

Young people have sent us a clear message; they want honesty about the challenges that they face and a clear, ambitious plan to solve them. Whether that be housing opportunities, the climate crisis or the cost of living, they want our politicians to show that they understand their experiences and more importantly, that they are prepared to take the bold, progressive action required to solve them.

Not just in Scotland, but across our country, Labour has the values, history and talent to complete that mission, but doing so will require much more than just reminding young people of our past achievements. Instead, we must demonstrate that we understand the hardship that they face and convince them that only our movement can provide the solutions to solve them.

Scottish Labour MSPs following the resignation of Anas Sarwar. Credit: Scottish Labour Party

In summary, no more can we rely on point scoring or campaigning on the fact that we aren’t someone else; we must rely on hope. If Labour is to reconnect with young people, we will only do so through optimism, rather than caution and through ambition, rather than opposition. There is every reason to believe that we will become the natural home for young progressives again, but we will only achieve that by creating an offering that is radical enough to solve the challenges they face.

Ultimately, politics should be about giving all in our society hope that tomorrow will be better than today. If we can’t convince young people that our movement is the best vehicle to achieve that, then I fear, sooner rather than later, our movement will cease to exist.