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David Cameron today warned the Conservatives that they must push harder to win young people back from Jeremy Corbyn by giving “a more inspiring vision” of a caring Tory society.

The former Prime Minister called for a renewal of the modernisation programme he launched in 2005 to prevent a new generation turning to Labour.

“We on the centre-Right side of the argument have to have just as inspiring a vision — a more inspiring vision — of how you build not just a strong economy but a strong society and a better life,” he told the Evening Standard in his first interview since the general election.

Asked why young people were associating idealism with Mr Corbyn and not the Tories, he said: “I think we need to push it more.”

Mr Cameron said it was “depressing” that the Conservatives lost seats in cities including London at last month’s election. He said he hoped the party was not seen as anti-urban.

Speaking after the first patrons’ board meeting of the National Citizen Service scheme that he set up for young people — which has volunteering and outdoor activities at its heart — he praised Theresa May’s speech outside No 10 on her first day as Prime Minister, in which his successor pledged to fight “burning injustice”.

But he said the Conservatives could not afford to relax on modernisation.

“It is very important that the Conservative Party doesn’t slip backwards,” he said. “The Conservative Party only succeeds if it is a party of the future.

“Modernisation isn’t an event. It is a process. A political party should be asking itself all the time, ‘Am I properly in touch with and reflecting the society and the country?’.

"I want us to go on being the open, liberal, tolerant party that we became post-2005 because I think that was part of our success.”

On the popularity of Mr Corbyn with idealistic young people, he said a lot of voters had “forgotten just how dangerous this full-on programme of nationalisation, state control and rampantly high taxes can be”.

“You don’t win the argument in favour of free enterprise, free markets, choice and liberal democracy and then pack up and go home,” Mr Cameron said. “You have to win the argument in every generation.”

He said a positive vision of a strong society was vital, saying free schools had unlocked community-led improvements to education.

“The reason I wanted to lead the Conservative Party back in 2005 was that I wanted us to be more than ‘the economics party’, more than just free marketeers with the rough edges knocked off,” he said.

“I wanted us to have a genuinely inspiring vision about what a great country and what a great society we could be. I think that’s still very true today.”

On the election, he pointed out that the part of west London he was associated with, Notting Hill, now had a Labour MP.

Asked if the Conservative Party was seen as anti-urban, he said: “I hope not. I think it was depressing that we lost some seats in metropolitan areas and in London.”

He said he was halfway through writing his memoirs and found it “hard work”. “It’s cathartic in many ways,” he said. “Your memory plays all sorts of tricks on you.”

Would it contain juicy disclosures? “I’m sure it will be a rip-roaring read. I’m enjoying writing it. It’s already reminded me about some of the big battles about modernisation in 2005 to 2010.”

Mr Cameron said he was watching politics closely but was avoiding speaking out. “When you leave office you sort of know you can’t run back on the pitch and give the ball a kick,” he said.

“Well, you can but it’s not a sensible thing to do. You watch it, you are fascinated by it but you have to get on with other bits of your life.”

Asked if there were any former Cabinet colleagues who should be sent on a National Citizen Service course, he said: “If it involved crossing a very, very dangerous river on a raft, I can think of a few I’d want to strap together.”