The Conservatives announced the policy over the weekend in the hope it would move the dial on polling returns, which have them trailing by more than 20 points behind Labour.
But while the announcement helped distract from a muchcriticised start to the general election campaign by the prime minister and his inner circle, there are serious question marks over whether it will provide the Tories with the poll boost they need.
Polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice admitted to being sceptical about the effect. Asked if it would shift the polls, he replied: “No. It was designed to appeal to their [the Tories’] base which is older.”
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