Nigel Huddleston has been adopted for Luton South. He faces a projected Labour majority of 5,700.
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Nigel Huddleston has been adopted for Luton South. He faces a projected Labour majority of 5,700.
November 30, 2007 at 08:24 in Luton South | Permalink | Comments (7)
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Labour has a projected majority of 9,119. Simon stood in Cardiff West at the 1997 General Election.
November 29, 2007 at 14:08 in Cardiff South and Penarth | Permalink | Comments (11)
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René Kinzett, a recent defector from the LibDems, has been selected as our candidate in Swansea West. Labour hold the seat with the LibDems in second place. René Kinzett issued the following statement:
"I am honoured that local Party Members have put their trust in me to contest Swansea West at the next General Election. I am excited about the opportunities for my Party in this seat. With Gordon Brown's Government failing on issues such as party funding and the missing benefits data discs, the chances of Conservative victories in seats like Swansea West have never looked better. The last Assembly Elections saw a rise in the Conservative vote in Swansea West and we now have some excellent candidates lined up in our target areas for next May's local council elections in which we expect to make big gains at the expense of the other parties. Against a background of a failing Labour Government and increased support locally and nationally for the Conservatives, the next election will be a very interesting contest in Swansea West. It is a contest we will fight to win".
November 29, 2007 at 14:03 in Swansea West | Permalink | Comments (5)
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Congratulations to occasional ConservativeHome contributor, Jeremy Brier who was selected for Luton North yesterday evening. Jeremy faces a projected Labour majority of 6,437.
November 28, 2007 at 11:46 in Luton North | Permalink | Comments (19)
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Cllr Leah Fraser has been selected for Wallasey (projected Labour majority of 9,109). Cllr Fraser was selected at a meeting attended by eighty Party members in a contest with Jo Barker and Colin Bloom. Cllr Fraser contested the seat in 2005.
November 24, 2007 at 15:14 in Wallasey | Permalink | Comments (10)
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Cllr Mark Bowen has been (re)selected for Feltham & Heston.
Mark was the PPC in 2005, achieving one of the biggest swings in
London. He's also a councillor for Feltham North and Deputy Leader of
the council. He faces a projected Labour majority of 7,760.
November 20, 2007 at 12:33 in Feltham and Heston | Permalink | Comments (17)
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John Bell the local candidate was selected for Clwyd South, John stood for the Constituency in the Welsh Assembly Elections achieving a 6.6% swing from Labour to Conservatives and increased our share of the vote by 10.2% whilst increasing the Conservative vote by some 60%. He faces a projected Labour majority of 6,185.
November 18, 2007 at 13:14 in Clwyd South | Permalink | Comments (4)
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Andrea Stephenson - the 28 year old Operations Co-ordinator for the Scottish Conservatives and sister to Pendle PPC Andy Stephenson - was selected for Linlithgow & Falkirk East last night, a seat in which we are currently fourth place. Andrea is the second female candidate to be selected in Scotland.
November 17, 2007 at 06:51 in Linlithgow & Falkirk East | Permalink | Comments (11)
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Applications close 29th November:
November 15, 2007 at 07:19 in Seat tranches | Permalink | Comments (25)
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Yesterday we noted what the next generation of Conservative MPs think about some key issues. We also asked our sample of candidates a question that attempted to find out whether they saw politics as largely about service or leadership.
It's impossible to read much into the question and answers but 36% (24 candidates) agreed that "politics is primarily about serving the people and understanding their concerns." 64% (42 candidates) thought that "politics is primarily about doing what is best for the country and being willing to challenge and lead public opinion."
Our final question asked: Why are you a Conservative?
Key themes that emerged in the answers were a love of freedom, distrust of government, a belief in individual responsibility and patriotism.
The verbatim responses (of those who answered this question and who cannot be identified by their answers) are posted below:
November 14, 2007 at 11:25 in Next generation of MPs | Permalink | Comments (16)
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Gallagher, another young candidate, was the Assembly candidate there last time around.
Labour's Mark Tami has a majority of 8378.
November 14, 2007 at 10:49 in Alyn and Deeside | Permalink | Comments (12)
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What do the next generation of Conservative MPs believe? On Sunday an opinion poll gave the Conservatives an 8% lead. Perhaps more encouragingly, the party was at 43% according to the ICM survey for The Sunday Express. There is a long way to go before we can be confident of seeing David Cameron becoming Prime Minister but a majority Conservative government now appears a realistic possibility after the next General Election.
ConservativeHome has already estimated that a majority Conservative parliamentary party would include fifty to sixty women. Although this will only be a sixth to a fifth of the total number of Conservative MPs it is a big improvement on the current proportion. Francis Maude, Bernard Jenkin and David Cameron will see this as a vindication of their controversial A-list of candidates.
If the A-list has shifted the gender mix of the next Conservative parliamentary party what has it done to its political outlook? ConservativeHome has attempted to find out. We contacted 192 of the men and women who, A-listers and non A-listers, have been selected to fight the top tier of constituencies at the next General Election. 70 of that 192 replied to our survey. That 70 included a broad cross-section of A-listers and non A-listers and also candidates in the most winnable seats.
The full aggregate answers can be inspected in this PDF. What, though, are the big picture conclusions from this first survey of the next parliamentary intake?
The next intake will be Eurosceptic. 94% agreed that too many powers have been transferred from Britain to Europe. None of our 70 respondents thought that we need to see "further integration". 3% of respondents (two candidates) went for the middle option of the British-EU relationship being "about right". When the likes of Ken Clarke, Ian Taylor and David Curry leave the Conservative ranks their views on Europe will leave with them.
Security trumps global warming as a concern. Echoing an ICM survey of existing MPs and ConservativeHome.com's own survey of members, the next intake appears more concerned about terrorism and hostile states than global warming/ climate change. 14% of candidates are most concerned about climate change. Four times as many - 59% - are more concerned about terrorism. 25% said they are concerned about both issues equally.
A nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable. Although 29% of candidates thought that "a nuclear Iran is probably unavoidable", twice as many - 61% - thought that "we must do all that is necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons". 10% of our sample didn't know.
Four-fifths want "a fairer deal" for England. 81% "largely agreed" with the suggestion that the "UK taxpayer needs to spend proportionately less on Scotland and give a fairer deal to the rest of the United Kingdom, particularly England." Just 13% "largely disagreed".
Immigration to Britain has largely been beneficial but not since 1997. 83% of our 70 candidates sample agreed that immigration has largely been beneficial to Britain over the last few decades. 13% disagreed. Attitudes were reversed when candidates were asked about immigration over the last decade. Only 28% agreed that it had been largely beneficial. 62% disagreed.
Strong support for nuclear power. 86% thought that a new generation of nuclear power stations are an essential part of meeting Britain's future energy needs. Just 10% said that they aren't.
Candidates are divided on a 'right-to-die'. 41% (28 candidates) were supportive of legislation that would "make it easier for sick or disabled people to exercise a 'right-to-die'". 44% (30 candidates) opposed such legislation. This question produced the highest number of don't knows (15% (10 candidates)). Two candidates skipped this question altogether.
Strong support for freedom of religious association. We asked our sample if they supported "the right of Catholic or other religious adoption agencies to decline to place children with same sex couples". 71% supported that right. 25% opposed it.
Editor's comment: "The 2005 intake was widely seen as small 'c' conservative in character and has often rebelled against the leadership's most modernising measures. These findings suggest that the next intake of Tory MPs - set to be much larger - also leans towards a familiar understanding of conservatism. Most are Eurosceptics, hawkish on security, supportive of nuclear energy, suspicious of the recent scale of immigration and concerned to protect the freedom of religious organisations to hold traditionalist views."
Later today we'll publish the results of our question on whether politics is largely about conviction or service. Tomorrow we'll be publishing the candidates' verbatim answers to the final question of the ConservativeHome survey: 'Why are you a Conservative?'
November 13, 2007 at 00:01 in Next generation of MPs | Permalink | Comments (34)
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Local lad Ross Thomson has been selected for the Scottish seat of Gordon, a seat where the Conservatives are in third place over 12000 votes behind LibDem MP Malcolm Bruce. The 20 year old Aberdeen University student and former Scottish Parliament candidate for Coatbridge and Chryston takes James Wharton's claim as our youngest parliamentary candidate. Commenting after being selected, he said:
"I am thoroughly looking forward to the election campaign. It’s time Gordon got its voice back in Parliament. I believe my youth, determination and commitment to change in Gordon will contrast starkly with my opponents. I hope that the voters in Gordon will put their trust and faith in me to deliver them real and substantial change.”
November 12, 2007 at 21:34 in Gordon | Permalink | Comments (21)
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The saga of Nigel Hastilow's recent remarks isn't quite over yet. Following an Independent story last week, BBC is reporting that some local Conservatives want to reject their (former) candidate's resignation.
My sources tell me that CCHQ have warned local Conservatives that they have no option but to accept the resignation. My understanding is that any failure on the part of local Tory officers to do as they are told will see this important target seat be brought under special measures.
I think it's important for everyone to now move on. That includes the BBC. Unless there are exceptional developments ConservativeHome won't be returning to the issue.
14th Nov: Birmingham Post quotes Hastilow saying he will not be the candidate
November 12, 2007 at 15:57 in Halesowen and Rowley Regis | Permalink | Comments (19)
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Young Bury Councillor Stuart Penketh was selected by open primary for Ellesmere Port and Neston yesterday, being voted ahead of the Conservative Group Leader in Wigan and a candidate who didn't make it there.
The seat has notional Labour majority of 6600.
November 11, 2007 at 09:46 in Ellesmere Port & Neston | Permalink | Comments (16)
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From The Stirrer: "Looking weary after days of being hounded by the media, Hastilow explained that he has no issue with anyone's skin colour, religion, or heritage - what concerns him is the growing population of the country and the infrastructure needed to sustain it. He also launched a broadside against the welfare state, which sustains 1.7 million unemployed even though (as thousands of Poles have discovered) there are clearly jobs available. Although he has been courted by UKIP and the BNP and encouraged to stand as an indepdendent, Hastilow said that he was still a Conservative member and would do nothing to hurt the party."
November 07, 2007 at 16:37 in Halesowen and Rowley Regis | Permalink | Comments (8)
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Ann Widdecombe's seat of Maidstone & The Weald (majority 11793) and Malcolm Moss' seat of North East Cambridgeshire (majority 7530) are open for applications from today until 2pm, Wednesday afternoon (14th November). Expect a lot of candidates to go for them although it appears that the seats are only open to A-listers and local candidates.
November 07, 2007 at 09:54 in Cambridgeshire North East, Maidstone and The Weald | Permalink | Comments (21)
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The Birmingham Post - the newspaper that Nigel Hastilow used to edit - has turned on Mr Hastilow today in a front-page leader, signed by current Editor Marc Reeves.
Highlights of the leader:
"Next year marks the 40th anniversary of Enoch Powell's infamous Rivers of Blood speech, delivered in Birmingham, in which the Tory front-bencher railed against immigration and repeated a constituent's forecast that in Britain by 1988 "the black man will have the whip hand over the white man".
Powell's inflammatory language - he told of the last white woman left living in a street in Wolverhampton whose life was made a misery by immigrant families and their children whom he described as "charming, wide-grinning piccaninnies" apt to chant "racialist" at her - shocked Conservative Party leader Ted Heath and Powell was promptly sacked from the shadow Cabinet...
Not only were Mr Hastilow's remarks severely embarrassing to the Conservative Party, which has been steadily repositioning itself as a party of modern liberal-Toryism, his comments were also out of step with the multi-cultural West Midlands where, in the main, immigration is not a divisive issue...
it is clear that Enoch Powell's apocalyptic vision, in which immigration would lead Britain to "heap up its own funeral pyre", has not come to pass. To suggest, as Mr Hastilow does, almost casually, that Enoch was right is as dangerous as it is inaccurate. Proof, if it were needed, of Powell's legacy can be found by typing "Rivers of Blood" into any internet search engine. Close to the top of hundreds of thousands of entries will be the website of the National Front, which carries the speech in full alongside an explanation that Mr Powell was "sacked for telling the truth".
Read Mr Reeves' words in full here.
November 06, 2007 at 10:54 in Halesowen and Rowley Regis | Permalink | Comments (19)
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Nigel Hastilow wrote for yesterday's Express & Star. He offered his reflections on recent events. A scan of the full article is published at the bottom of this post (click on it to enlarge) but here are a few key sections:
"Caroline, the Chairman of the party, didn't mince her words. She was not happy. My political career was on the line."
"I turned the phone off and tried to enjoy a fireworks display with, among others, a very senior Conservative. They said they agreed with everything I'd said; they were just very glad it was me saying it, not them."
A very senior Conservative, eh?
On that meeting with Caroline Spelman:
"Caroline herself was charming. She explained how sensitive the immigration issue was and how dangerous it was for the party to be considered racist... I explained I had not written about race but about numbers... Then she cut to the chase. My political career would survive if I signed a press release drawn up by the party's chief spin doctor, Andy Coulson. It included this sentence: "Although I did not - and do not - support Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood' comments, I accept that some of the wording of my column was incredibly stupid."... I was also required to submit any future articles for the Express & Star (or anywhere else) to the Conservative campaign headquarters before submitting them to the editor. It was this, even more that the "incredibly stupid" line, that I couldn't stomach."
"I am surprised the Conservative Party is so intimidated by the BBC and "The Observer" that it must toe the metropolitan line at all costs. But that's apparently how politics works these days."
November 06, 2007 at 09:20 in Halesowen and Rowley Regis | Permalink | Comments (27)
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I am grateful to David Cooper for sending me a scan of the full article that caused Nigel Hastilow to resign yesterday as the Tory candidate for Halesowen and Rowley Regis. What is clear is that Mr Hastilow did not say that Enoch Powell was right about everything. What he said was that Powell was right to say that "uncontrolled immigration" would change our country irrevocably.
Read his full remarks on his blog, including "it's not about race, it's about numbers".
Click on the scan to enlarge it. [I hope to improve the image quality later].
4.15pm: With thanks to Martin Wright, here is a link to the article.
November 05, 2007 at 08:54 in Halesowen and Rowley Regis | Permalink | Comments (59)
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...highlighted by the Scottish Tory Boy blog:
November 05, 2007 at 07:38 in East Lothian, Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey, North Ayrshire & Arran, West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine | Permalink | Comments (21)
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Over his comments on immigration, CCHQ press release:
"I am very sorry that any remarks of mine have undermined the progress David Cameron has made on the issue of immigration, as on so many other issues. I have been here once before when William Hague was party leader and I have no wish to go there again.
So, with regret and my continuing support for the future, I hereby tender my resignation as parliamentary candidate for Halesowen and Rowley Regis. I thank my friends in the constituency association for their support."
A Conservative spokesman said: "We have accepted Mr Hastilow's resignation and wish him well for the future."
Deputy Editor's note: "Political realities made this resignation understandable but, for me, it's very disappointing. Most of the blame belongs to the media (particularly the BBC and the Observer) for giving Labour's press team the scalp they wanted all too easily. There was nothing racist in what Hastilow said. Fact. Is it completely naive to wonder if the Party could have stood its ground? It would be interesting to hear Osborne or Spelman spell out exactly how they disagreed with his comments. Political correctness triumphed over common sense with Patrick Mercer's article on the army and with the Catholic adoption agencies issue, and it will continue to do so until a senior figure has the courage of their convictions to challenge it. I suspect they will find far more support for such a stance than they realise. In this case - only one side of the argument was heard so I'm afraid all that some voters will remember from this episode will be that the Conservatives had to ditch some candidate for letting his racism show."
4.40pm: Ben Brogan is reporting that Mr Hastilow has now added to his officially released statement: "They wanted me to issue a statement apologising and I don't feel I had anything to apologise for. If I had said sorry I could have stayed on, but I am not sorry. I have definitely not said anything racist." Don't be surprised if Mr Hastilow returns to fight for another party. He knows that he is finished within the Conservative Party. ConservativeHome knows that UKIP, for example, is seeking to recruit 'Thatcherites' removed from the candidates' list or weren't A-listed.
7.45pm: James Forsyth makes the good point that this Hastilow affair has completely obscured the scandalous misuse of parliamentary allowances by Labour MPs, including Cabinet minister Ruth Kelly. Guess which story is dominating at the BBC...
That's right: Kellygate doesn't get a mention on BBC Online's main news page.
November 04, 2007 at 16:12 in Halesowen and Rowley Regis | Permalink | Comments (108)
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"When you ask most people in the Black Country what the single biggest problem facing the country is, most say immigration. Many insist: 'Enoch Powell was right'. Enoch, once MP for Wolverhampton South-West, was sacked from the Conservative front bench and marginalised politically for his 1968 'rivers of blood' speech, warning that uncontrolled immigration would change our country irrevocably. He was right. It has changed dramatically."
"...They have more or less given up complaining about the way we roll out the red carpet for foreigners while leaving the locals to fend for themselves."
These are some of the words penned by Nigel Hastilow for Wolverhampton's Express & Star. Mr Hastilow, the Tory candidate for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, has been summoned to see Party Chairman Caroline Spelman MP later today to explain his remarks.
Mr Hastilow's remarks will only add to his reputation as a loose cannon. When our candidate for Birmingham Edgbaston during the 1997-2001 parliament a piece on his website caused substantial embarrassment for William Hague. Tony Blair quoted it at PMQs.
He has also written that the Guantanamo facility "reduces every nation which connives in its existence to the same low level as the vile terrorists it purports to defend us from."
10.45am update:
Speaking on Sunday AM the Shadow Chancellor refused to be drawn on what action, if any, should be taken against Mr Hastilow. He said that he did not want to pre-judge the candidate's meeting with Caroline Spelman - due later today. Mr Osborne did say that it was important for all public figures to approach these subjects in a "reasonable way" and use "moderate" language. He criticised Gordon Brown's "British jobs for British workers" slogan as "particularly nasty" and "trying to play to a particular court". Shadow Home Secretary Davis has called the remarks "very unwise" and that it would be "very sensible" for Mr Hastilow to withdraw his article.
Earlier on Sunday AM, Labour's Peter Hain said that the remarks exposed the Conservative Party's "racist underbelly".
2pm: Labour MP Tom Watson reveals that Nigel Hastilow needs to clean up the threads on his blog, too.
November 04, 2007 at 08:15 in Halesowen and Rowley Regis | Permalink | Comments (74)
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Listed below are the parliamentary candidates selected by the Conservative Party since the General Election. Any corrections or errors should be emailed to Tim and Sam please.
WOMEN CANDIDATES
Proportion of women selected of all candidates (71 of 255): 27.8%
Proportion of women selected since A-list (64 of 236): 27.1%
Proportion of women selected before A-list (7 of 19): 36.8%
ETHNIC MINORITY AND NON A-LIST CANDIDATES
Proportion of ethnic minority candidates selected of all candidates (13 of 255): 5.1%Proportion of local or non-A-list candidates selected since A-list (44 of 95): 46.3%*
* This count and the identification of non-A-listers in italics was stopped after 95 selections because of the effective ending of the A-list.
CONTEXT
At the last General Election just 19% of target and Conservative held seats (where the former MP was retiring) had women candidates. Just 11% of the 2005 intake were women.
All candidates in blue are men. All in purple are women.
CANDIDATES SELECTED AFTER THE A-LIST
(the most recently reported selections start from the top.)
Last updated 11/04/08. Full A-list here.
CANDIDATES FAST-TRACKED BEFORE THE A-LIST
(Alphabetical by candidate surname)
Comments left on this thread (as with all comments on this 'Seats & Candidates site' site) will only be published after they have been approved by ConservativeHome's Editorial team.
November 03, 2007 at 12:47 in Who has been selected so far? | Permalink | Comments (89)
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Rochester & Strood CCA announce to all prospective PPCs an opportunity to visit the new seat on Sunday 25th November 2007, from noon.
The Association will start the visit with a briefing. This will include information about the locality and the Association. It will be followed by a guided coach tour of the seat, and an afternoon buffet. Finally, there will be a question and answer session. This event will be completely free of charge, and will not require those attending to knock on any doors, or deliver any leaflets! Hospitality will also be without charge, and no donations will be accepted.
This event will be run by the Association President, Gary Etheridge, and Vice-Presidents. To ensure propriety and transparency in the subsequent selection process, the day will not involve any of the three executive officers of the Association who will ultimately conduct the first candidate sift.
Rochester & Strood is judged to have a notional Conservative majority of 1,501 following boundary changes. The sitting Labour MP for the current Medway Constituency is not re-standing.
The only way to reserve your place for the day (which will end at around 7pm), is to e-mail your details (including home address) to Vice-President Chris Buckwell at [email protected]. By necessity places will be limited. "First come, first place reserved" will be the system of registration!
November 02, 2007 at 09:01 in Rochester & Strood | Permalink | Comments (21)
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