Tall people are more likely to be Conservative supporters with each inch increasing the chance of voting Tory by 0.5 per cent, scientists have discovered.

Researchers compared the height and political leanings of nearly 10,000 Britons and discovered a clear relationship between stature and Right-wing beliefs.

The link was twice as strong for men, where each additional inch was linked to a 0.8 per cent increase in the likelihood of conservative support compared with 0.4 per cent for tall women.

"If you take two people with nearly identical characteristics – except one is taller than the other – on average the taller person will be more politically conservative," said Dr Sara Watson, co-author of the study and assistant professor of political science at The Ohio State University.