THE head of Theresa May’s policy forum has warned her the Tories risk being seen as “a narrow party of nostalgia, hard Brexit, public sector austerity and lazy privilege”.

In a letter in September, obtained by The House magazine, Tory MP George Freeman warned Mrs May she needed to “move fast” to show she had learned from the snap election which cost her party their majority in June.

In his letter, the Mid-Norfolk MP wrote: “We are now in a new battle of ideas which is reshaping 21st century politics.

“We need to move fast to show that the Conservative Party has learnt the lessons of the last election and is serious about intellectual, organisational and cultural renewal.

“If we allow ourselves to be defined as a narrow party of nostalgia, hard Brexit, public sector austerity and lazy privilege we risk alienating ourselves from a new generation of voters.”

Mr Freeman, who was life sciences minister under David Cameron, lost his cabinet post when Mrs May came to power.

Asked whether Mrs May shared his concern about how the Tories might be seen, a spokesman said: “No. The Government has a broad and ambitious programme domestically and internationally, delivering on important issues.”