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A Tory MP who made headlines after urged jobless people to have vasectomies has warned the party it needs to shed its toxic image.

Ben Bradley, who Theresa May put in charge of youth engagement last year, admitted the party is failing to reach under 40s, even with voters who agree with their policies.

He said: “It’s clear we need to articulate our values and our commitment in an engaging way, because they should be voting Conservative.

“Delivering that change must involve breaking down stereotypes and negativity that sometimes surround our party.”

Theresa May came under pressure to sack Mr Bradley, 28, after online articles he had written in 2012 emerged, calling for out of work people to have vasectomies.

He said Britain would be "drowning in a vast sea of unemployed wasters" unless those out of work limited the number of children they produce.

(Image: Getty)

The Mansfield MP added: “Sorry but how many children you have is a choice; if you can’t afford them, stop having them!

"Vasectomies are free."

He was also forced to apologise and make a “substantial” donation to charity after claiming Jeremy Corbyn "sold British secrets to Communist spies" on Twitter in February.

Mr Bradley’s call to detoxify the Tory brand came after a shock new YouGov poll revealed 44% of people aged 18 to 24 said there was “zero” chance of them voting Conservative at the next election.

Revealing the figures, Robert Colville, director of the Centre for Policy Studies said the results were “alarming” for the Tories.

He told the Sunday Telegraph: ”Among those aged 18 to 24, 44 per cent say there is zero chance of their voting Tory - and the figure is even higher,

at 49 per cent, among those aged 25 to 39.

“The proportion who are certain to vote Tory is, frankly, tiny: just 9 per cent of 25-39s and 5 per cent of 18-24s."