Priti Patel selected for Witham

Shortlist here. More to follow.

Deputy Editor

8.30am update on 21 November: Priti won after what ConservativeHome sources described as a "barnstorming performance."  Priti beat James Brokenshire MP in the final round.  JB had tied with Geoffrey Van Orden MEP after the first round of voting.  Charlie Elphicke had been eliminated first.

Comments

[Andy Percy]

Delighted to have a new companion to join we euro-realist candidates!

Sorry to the others and I hope they get selected elsewhere soon.

[Cllr Joe Mooney]

Well done Witham. You have made a very wise choice. I am so pleased that you selected Priti to represent you and your community in the House. She will work hard for all of you.

[Andrew Woodman]

Strange name for a middle aged, middle class man!!!!

Bad luck Bernard. Congratulations Priti.

[Dave H]

Congratulations Priti!

[Chris]

I see Mr Miraj has released a statement on the selection in Whitham ;
http://www.alimiraj.com/?p=70

Interesting points

[Mutleygold]

May I be one of the first to congratulate Priti. She will be an excellent M.P when elected at the next election & will serve her constituents well.
Well done.

[Sabeeha Mannan]

Congratulations Priti. Ability always pays off in the end. Others should follow your example and persevere, avoiding public displays of 'sour grapes'.Its good to see our party move in the right direction especially with regard to candidates and the A-List goes.

[Arif]

A cynic might say that this was a forced response to the shining of negative limelight on Witham. How many people truly believe that this outcome was part of the original trajectory of things, as they stood before the recent furore?!!

[Julia Manning]

More congratulations to Priti - I am really delighted for you that your talent has been given a new home!

[Louise]

In answer to Arif, I believe Pritti's selection was part of the original trajectory. GvO has very strong backing in that part of Essex due to his hard work, James Brokenshire is a very good MP and Charles Elphicke fought hard and well for the seat. Only a very good candidate would have beaten three such good opponents for the selection. The Miraj furore is more likely to have raised hackles against Pritti, rather than eased her way.

Perhaps the best person on the night won. As it should be.

[Phelps]

Congratulations Priti. You perservered, kept your head down, worked hard and fought your way through many selection battles. This seat is yours on merit and nothing else and proves that talented bright people will succeed in our party. You're going to be a super MP.Well done!!!

[James Cleverly]

Arif,

Priti was selected in an open primary, the local association put here forward and the community chose her.

It's as simple as that.

I am really pleased that once again an association has shown that it can be bold and forward thinking in its candidate selection.

Priti will make an excellent candidate and a strong MP. Well done to Witham and well done to Priti.

[Wellness]

Well,

Ali Miraj looks very silly this morning and Con home looks even sillier for swallowing the Elphike propaganda - "led the voting in the first round..." total rubbish as it happens....

Good for Priti - and good for Witham...

[Louise Bagshawe]

AOL keeps eating my Priti comments, let me try again. I met Priti on the candidate circuit, really like her, and am so glad she has won this seat.

I am also quite sure that her selection on the night was due to her being the best on the night. Clearly a very strong field of finalists whom I expect will all get seats elsewhere very soon - in the room, few if any of the voters are likely to have read blogs.

It is great to see that the ablest candidates of both sexes and all ethnic backgrounds are welcomed in the Conservative party. I look forward to seeing Priti in Parliament - she is a very charismatic woman and I share her views on Europe.

Congratulations to Witham for a strong choice that will benefit both you and the Parliamentary party.

[malcolm]

A cynic would be wrong Arif. I do not think Priti Patel would have been the favourite going into the meeting last night but she did capture the minds of many in the audience with her very powerfully expressed views on law and order and Europe.She was also refreshingly honest and was not afraid to criticise David Cameron.
I had thought Geoffrey Van Ordern would win as he skilfully had the audience eating out of his hands particularly after Dean Godson foolishly told him he was not well known in the constituency and Geoffrey asked for a show of hands asking who knew him.About 90% went up!
Dean was also in my opinion much harsher on Charlie Elphicke than the other three perhaps because Charlie had drawn the short straw and had to go on first.

[changetowin]

So happy you've won Priti. My sincerest congratulations.

[Arif]

Well it's nice to know at least then that someone who once concurred with Ali Miraj's viewpoint has now finally overcome the very hurdles she famously highlighted in 2003.

http://search.ft.com/searchArticle?queryText=priti+patel&javascriptEnabled=true&id=030815000399

Sorry - as much as it might seem, I'm not begrudging PP her success and creditability (sic) - it's just a bit annoying how short people's memories are. My 'problem' is that the Ali Miraj school of thought is a valid one, and this event does nothing to negate it. If people think that this curiously-coincidental selection represents the very change that the likes of Ali Miraj (& Prity Patel of days gone by) are fighting for - then we may as well re-name the Conservatives the 'S.S.Titanic' and be done with it.

[Priti Is Great]

Priti won because she was the best candidate on the night, with sound views and a great personality.

changetowin who has commented elsewhere on this site, should take note that the fact that she is Asian and a women didn't come into it. Those in the party who are trying to force their version of the failed Labour policies of multiculturalism, gender realignment, gay rights and Islamification of candidates above their inherent ability on the membership and electorate should go and join the Respect party where their outdated views will be no doubt still be welcome.

[I Was There]

Priti had my vote because she was indeed the best candidate. She said she was a loyal patriot, was tough on law and order and was highly eurosceptic and I believe her. Was she an Asian woman? Can't say I noticed as I was too busy admiring her passion, honesty and charisma.

[Devil's Advocate]

Before the line-toeing sycophants get carried away…

...glad to see that we have all forgiven Priti for her contribution to the 1997 election campaign, where her sterling efforts for the Referendum Party cost the Conservatives a number of seats in Parliament.

[Michael]

I was slightly disappointed to read that Priti's selection was due in part to her 'powerfully expressed views on Europe' These must have been the same views that she held when working for the Referendum Party in the late 90's. Let's hope that her election campaign is considerably more progessive. The electorate of Witham (current non-Tories) will surely be more interested in the improvement of their local services. I thought the obsession with Europe had died with the Referendum Party??

[Jonathan Sheppard]

Two words sum this selection up for me. ABOUT TIME.

I have known Priti for 10 years,- we were both younger then and I was thinner!

At the last election we both fought Nottinghamshire seats, and we must have spoken every week since the election, chatting about politics and generally giving each other a bit of moral support. In my book she is one of the finest candidates we have and frankly would have got a seat with or without an A list. As they say where I come from - I'm chuffed to bits!!

[Country Boy]

What are the press saying?

[C List and Proud]

Hmmm?

I understand Ms Patel came out in favour of the death penalty and of leaving the EU and in doing so hoovered up the hang 'em/flog 'em vote prevalent amongst the Essex farmers.

Sounds like a typically out of touch tory to me, hardly the considered, centre-ground, huggie hooding candidate that seems to be in favour now.

[Rob Wilkins]

I think that Priti did very well to get this seat, as I honestly felt that she was the outsider of the four. I have no doubts that she was the best candidate on the night, but we have to acknowledge that the available pool of talent has been severely trimmed by CCHQ. I am sure that Priti, and every other candidate who has been selected, would have preferred to have faced competition from everyone else on the Candidates List so that there would be no doubts as to whether they were the best on merit.

[Yet Another Anon]

I thought the obsession with Europe had died with the Referendum Party??
The reason though for this rising had been the rise of the ECU, Britain's membership of the ERM and John Major's appearing to show a favourable attitude towards the Euro and not accepting a referendum - if anything the criticism of the Referendum Party is that they were merely Eurosceptic not Eurorealist like UKIP, both Labour and the Liberal Democrats though had accepted that the UK would not enter the Euro without a referendum in the run up to the 1997 General Election, the Conservatives did so very late in the day.

[Ian]

Congratulations to Priti - but I have fears here.

A largely white constituency and a ethnic minority candidate. What's to stop this from going the same way as Cheltenham in 1992 ?

[eugene]

Ian at 19-40. Cheltenham had many other issues in play and white, middle aged Tories have never done as well as Taylor did since. Conservative voters do not care about sexuality, race and religion- there is more election evidence for this statement than against.

[Andrew Woodman]

I would hope that the world has moved on a bit from 92 Ian, and the voters of Witham are more enlightened.

[Yet Another Anon]

Cheltenham was a marginal in the 1980's at a time when the opposition was very divided, in 1992 the opposition vote went up generally, racist opinions had a small effect, but the main effect was an increase in tactical voting between Labour and Liberal Democrat voters that intensified in 1997 along of course with the fact that the Conservative vote for the past 3 General Elections has been way lower nationally than at any time since the Corn Laws, Witham on the other hand is notionally a safe Conservative seat with a the Conservative vote locally having been slightly over 48% of the vote, even with the swing that occurred in Cheltenham, Labour would not take it but the fact is that Witham should be a virtual certainty for the Conservative Party and if they couldn't end up holding the seat then probably they would lose a heck of a lot of other seats nationally.

[the voice of reason]

why is James Brokenshire looking for another seat? just asking as he's my Dad's MP.

[Answer]

Every few years, parliamentary boundaries are looked at and revised. Sadly the boundary commission has decided to get rid of the Hornchurch seat this time around.

[Oliver Denton]

Congratulations Priti! Well Done!

[Curious]

So what happens to James B now?

[david white]

Have read Ms Patel's views on the EU and capital punishment. I am amazed she was selected.
Brilliant! at last a real Conservative with conservative views.
Let's have some more of conservative values please. And less hoodie/husky/Toynbee hugging.

[Joseph Enterton]

I despair. Some 'Conservative supporters' contributing to this discussion need to come to their senses over the death penalty. Here is the truth, plain and simple: it will never return; it is a morally indefensible product of a byegone age; and it should not even be on the political agenda any more. Our members who continue to support it need to realise it is a hopeless cause which just makes them, and the party, seem incredibly silly. Use your energies instead to work on the promotion of real issues which may actually help the Conservatives to get elected next time.
I'm so disappointed that Priti Patel has expressed these views. She could have been such a good standard-bearer for the new Conservative Party. Instead, she's just providing ammunition for our opponents.
Please let's understand this: capital punishment will never come back. To think or hope that it will is plainly ridiculous. To campaign for it will not win us one more vote. And yet we still have these sentiments expressed, apparently from within the party. As I said, I despair.