Made in Chelsea's 'Toff' urges MPs to drop 'smears and scaremongering' to win young voters

Westminster's culture of "smears and scaremongering" is turning people off politics, according to a star of E4's Made in Chelsea.

Georgia Toffolo, otherwise known as "Toff", told IBTimes UK that the expenses scandal damaged trust between the public and MP and that bridge needed to be rebuilt.

"Many people also feel that the main political parties say one thing and then do another, often ignoring the needs of working people," the university student said.

"People are sick of the old politics of the past, we want to see our elected representatives in tune with the challenges ahead, using social media to engage voters and bring about change."

The reality star, who recently joined right-leaning thinktank Parliament Street as head of events, revealed that she has been interested in politics from a young age and was drawn to the "Conservative message of aspiration".

"I remember seeing David Cameron on the TV and hearing some of his speeches about modern, compassionate Conservatism which captured my interest," she said.

"I became particularly interested and involved during the general election, the country was in so much debt and under Labour and Gordon Brown way beyond our means.

"The country needed change and I was drawn to the Conservative message about aspiration which is why I got involved."

But the 20-year-old warned that young people are "sick of smears and scaremongering from politicians" and said that MPs should not ignore her reality show's viewers.

"Winning the support of young people could mean the difference between success and failure so it's time politicians took these audiences seriously," Toffolo added.

"I'd like to see politicians reaching out beyond traditional policy areas and doing more to reach those who should be involved in politics but aren't because they worry it's not right for them."

But when it comes to the reducing the voting age to 16, the Made in Chelsea star is non-committal.

"I think there are still a lot of debates to be had around this issue, but I do think much more needs to be done to tackle youth disengagement with politics," she said.

"There are so many young people in Britain with bright ideas who play a critical role in their local community and we need to do more in schools to encourage them to get involved in the political process and make a difference."

Toffolo seems level-headed about her political future, but she does not rule out the idea of following in the footsteps of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and becoming the leader of the Conservatives.

"I've just started my new job as director of events at Parliament Street and have a busy few months ahead," she said.

"My main priority is to design and run campaigns to combat voter apathy and get more young people engaged with politics. But who knows what the future holds!"