A-list succeeding in increasing number of female candidates

The picture above was taken at the first anniversary celebration of Women2Win.  Pictured from left to right are Tory candidates Jane Ellison, Deborah Dunleavy, Pauline Latham, Priti Patel, David Cameron, Andrea Leadsom, Joanne Cash, Louise Bagshawe, Harriett Baldwin and Lorraine Fulbrook.

The latest update of ConservativeHome's rolling record of selected candidates gives W2W more to celebrate.  The proportion of women selected overall (since CH's previous update) has risen from 35.1% to 38.1%.   Of the last 22 selections 45.6% have been women.  39.0%  of all selections since the introduction of the A-list have been women and women appear to be faring particularly well in the more marginal seats.  Male A-listers are doing surprisingly badly because the proportion of non-A-listers winning selection is also up.  46.8% of all selected candidates are not on the A-list (although some may not have been correctly identified as A-list members because of continuing CCHQ secrecy).

Comments

[Henry Edward-Bancroft]

Really welcome news, the party is changing.

[Wayne Bridges]

Great news! - but still a long way to go.

[Simon Coote]

My experience in candidate selection must be against the 'norm'. In council and indeed parliamentary selections i've found that the women candidates were much better than the men!I don't think i've ever voted for a male candidate in any selection!

[HF]

The other good news is that the A list has not caused a massive delay in selecting. We look like we are ahead of Labour and the LDs.

[RobinClash]

The stat's show a number of things:
1. CCHQ is pushing associations into choosing an A-lister.
2. Associations, (not over my dead body), are trying as hard as possible not to, hence the number of Open Primaries fought, which results almost always, (ex Hague press officer excluded), in a local winning, (by filling the hall with your mates).
3. Most local candidates are men, therefore the result is 1 or 2 women A-listers in the final, coming second and third to a local, non-A-list, bloke.
4. My suggestions are:

A-List WOMEN: Do not bother fighting a Primary

A-List MEN: Resign from being an A-Lister!!

[Klamm]

Oh Henry (09:49)stop trying to justify this male discrimination

Women are doing well because hundreds of men are not allowed to compete against them.

They are more women than men on the A-list as well

[John]

Woman and local men are doing well because so few A-list men are applying for key marginal seats - perhaps they're saving themselves. I look at this photograph and see a group of highly successful women who have approached the selection process in a professional manner. Of the nine, five will be fighting top targets rather than defending large Conservative majorities. What the A-list has done is make all candidates realise they have to raise their game to get selected.

[Annabel Herriott]

But if a local candidate, man or woman, is more suitable to the makeup and outlook of the residents of a constituency, why does CCHQ seem to be putting barriers up against him/her?? Activists up north know only too well what the voting public thinks of the carpet bagger/comer in/ jonny come lately/ lawyer from London/ any other epithet thrown around the local pubs. Dont you think CCHQ should find out too???

[Justin Hinchcliffe]

How many candidates have rejected or resigned from the A List to be 'normal' ?

[ukfirst]

Who's going to take over in Chester?

[Mastiff]

I think John (Mills) is correct here. My perception is that many of the men who are on the A list who have fought a seat before are holding themselves back for the retirements rather than going for target seats. It's almost like they have done their one stint and don't want to get their hands dirty again. Those people taking that attitude are severely restricting their chances of reaching Parliament.

[Cllr Iain Lindley]

Where have CCHQ put barriers up against local candidates, Annabel? Nearly half of the selected candidates so far are non-a-list, and I don't think anyone doubts that a good chunk of the a-list would have been selected somewhere anyway...

[HF]

Have we a bigger or smaller % of local candidates than before?

[Fed Up Member Is Now Grumpy]

"A-list succeeding in increasing number of female candidates"

Yes. but as we have seen here, it's ripping the heart out of one Association.

Drop it now.