ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog

Nigel Huddleston selected for Luton South

Nigel Huddleston has been adopted for Luton South.  He faces a projected Labour majority of 5,700.

Simon Hoare adopted in Cardiff South and Penarth

Labour has a projected majority of 9,119.  Simon stood in Cardiff West at the 1997 General Election.

René Kinzett selected for Swansea West

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".

Luton North select Jeremy Brier

Congratulations to occasional ConservativeHome contributor, Jeremy Brier who was selected for Luton North yesterday evening.  Jeremy faces a projected Labour majority of 6,437.

Leah Fraser re-adopted for Wallasey

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.

Mark Bowen selected for Feltham and Heston

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.

John Bell selected for Clywd South

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.

Andrea Stephenson selected for Linlithgow & Falkirk East

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.

Tranche 5, phase 3

Applications close 29th November:

• Birkenhead
• Bristol East
• Bristol South
• Bristol West
• Ceredigion
• Darlington
• Halton
• Hartlepool
• Hyndburn
• Kingswood
• Middlesbrough
• Newcastle-under-Lyme
• Oxford East
• Preston
• Redcar
• Rother Valley
• Scunthorpe
• Sedgefield
• Southampton Itchen
• Swansea East
• Torfaen
• Warrington North
• Wolverhampton North East
• Worsley and Eccles South
• Wrexham
• York Central

'Why are you a Conservative?'

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:

1. Trust the people
2. Because I believe in one nation, freedom from State intervention, inclusivity and empowering people to achieve
3. I believe people should have the right to make their own choices in life and to be given the opportunity to exercise that right.I am a "doer not a done for" but recognise that others may need to be supported.Conservatives are caring but not controlling.
4. I believe in individual choice and opportunity for all.
5. I believe people should have the right to make their own choices in life and to be given the opportunity to exercise that right.I am a "doer not a done for" but recognise that others may need to be supported.Conservatives are caring but not controlling.
6. I believe in individual choice and opportunity for all.
7. I believe that people should have freedom and choice within their daily lives. This very simple concept is central to the Conservative vision for our country.
8. Because I believe in order, discipline and personal freedom.
9. I am a Conservative because I believe that individuals and families generally know what is best for themselves and how best to spend their own money. Government is not good at allocating resources.
10. Because I believe in freedom, individual choice and oppose intervention by the state.
11. TO PROTECT CORE SOCIAL VALUES AND BELIEFS.
12. because I support the NHS and this government has failed to deliver, because I want young people to have the best education and this government has failed to deliver, because over the last 10 years we have seen the rise in the far-right because this government has lost the confidence of the british people over immigration, because people have been robbed of their hard earned money and have not seen the benefits of their tax contributions, fundamentally I believe that a conservative administration will focus on delivery and is hungry again to lead this great country
13. I believe in free markets and in people making their own decisions not government, but at the same time caring for those who need it.
14. I believe in the institutions of this country, an organic rather than an artificial approach to political development, a small state and a strong nation, freedom of the individual and the role of government being to create opportunity.
15. I believe Conservatives offer opportunity rather than hand outs. I believe the great leaps forward for Britain have been the result of conservative thinkers.
16. Because I believe in freedom of the individual.
17. I want to help and inspire people to meet their dreams and aspirations and believe that through doing this we can create a stronger society.
18. I believe in an opportunity society that triumphs individuals and communities. I believe that whilst the state often has worthy aspirations it is a blunt instrument that typically fails to deliver.
19. Margaret Thatcher's shining example & to implement the principles of Thatcherism.
20. Because I believe in a smaller state, in the ability and right of people to make important decisions about themselves, their families, their communities.
21. Because I believe in freedom, the right to determine my own life as far as possible and in a state that is subservient to the people, not the other way round
22. I believe in the freedoms and the responsibilities of the individual citizen as opposed to an overbearing and intrusive state.
23. Because I believe in a free market economy, low taxation, minimal regulation, the nation state, liberty, freedom, strong defence and the rule of law
24. Because I believe in people. I believe that they know what is best for them and their families. I believe in big people and small Government and that Government exists to serve people and act as a facilitator to allow them to make the best of their potential. We need to stop putting Government first and start putting people first. We need to trust the people.
25. Phew! If I had some more time I promise I'd write a good essay! Choice, opportunity, helping people to help others, less State more personal responsibility and citizenship, lower taxes, safety net but not benefit culture creation which kills self-esteem in the longer term, etc!
26. freedom of choice, freedom of speech and not a fear of political correctness, smaller government. Protection of our British identity.
27. Because I believe in pragmatism over dogma and because I believe in freedom over a central state.
28. Because I believe that if you have a problem, the first place you should look is in the mirror.
29. I am a Conservative because I believe that people do best when allowed to make decisions for themselves and people should be allowed to go about their daily lives without too much inteference from Government. As a Conservative, I am always mindful of and helpful towards those that cannot help themselves. I am also sure that Conservatism is the route to aspiration and opportunity and not the interference and control doctrine as displayed by our political opponents.
30. Conservative principles of freeing up people to manage their own lives whilst having a safety net for those that can't, is where we do best when in power.
31. Because I believe in freedom, liberty and individual responsibility none of which are believed in by the other parties.
32. because i believe in a small state which seeks to minimise it's interference in the daily lives of it's citizens
33. because I believe in small government
34. Belief in the rule of law and the freedom of the idividual. A belief that everyone is equal before the law and a hatred of patronage and favouritism. A love of and pride in Britain. A belief in the power of the idividual. A love of democracy. True liberalism. Freemarket economics. Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and David Cameron.
35. I believe in personal freedom and the right to self determination. But above all, we should empower people to improve their own situation.
36. Because I believe that the individual is more important than the State.
37. I am a one nation conservative. I believe that people generally make better choices in their own lives and communities. I believe less is more when it comes to the State and how one exercises choices, in all aspects of life (subject to a safety net for the vulnerable). Conservatives plan for the long term with a conservative outlook, and have a natural reluctance to change that which works - but view things with pragmatic realism.
38. Because I believe in personal liberty tempered by a social responsibility to others. I believe that the party has always stood for that and the successful left-wing damning of the Thatcher years as being solely about the first and not the latter, was a disgrace that our party was not electorally in a position to defend.
39. I believe people are better at running their own lives than Government. I believe Conservatism throughout it's history has been more innovative, forward-looking and delivers real democracy and justice to the people.
40. Because I'm optimistic about people and their ability to decide what's best for themselves.
41. Conservatives beliefs are in tune with man as a fallible being
42. Because I believe that, on balance, individuals, families and companies are better able than the state to take the key decisions that affect them.
43. Because the Conservatives develop policies that work because they are based on human nature and evidence. Most political parties want a better world - often the desired outcomes are the same, but the way that we want to get there is more based on common sense, pragmatism and an appreciation of history and the country.
44. Because 1. All my life experiences have taught me the fundamental necessity of a culture of responsibility for a successful, free and ordered society and economy, and 2. I believe that the more liberal, global and laissez faire our economy becomes, the more people we all need to belong to something at home that provides order, structure, meaning and reassurance. So contrary to the liberal orthodoxy I believe modern economic liberalism in fact demands societal conservatism. To be a functional society in a global world (dis)order, Britain (and the communities that make it up) will need more than ever to have a sense of its own identity, culture and standards. I believe we are a successful economy but an unhappy and disfunctional society because our leaders have thought that social liberalism is the only and obvious reaction to economic liberalism. The challenge for our generation must be to do for our society what Mrs. Thatcher did for our economy in the sense of a radical revolution to unlock a culture of personal responsibility across public services and society.
45. I deeply believe in the need for social mobility and the reward of hard work and aspiration.
46. Because I was born a free Briton - and I want to die that way.
47. Because I believe in three fundamental values: 1 - that the state should not interfere with people's desire to get on with their lives in a law abiding manner. 2- that the state should pick people up when thay fall off the ladder and help them back on again; or support people who will never make it onto th eladder. 3 - that the traditional family is the fundamental building block of society and this should be protected.
48. Because I believe that people make decisions for themselves, their families and their neighbours better than Whitehall bureaucrats do.
49. I believe in individual liberty and a reduction in the power of the state. That liberty should include economic liberty and social liberty.
50. Because I believe I believe in messy freedom and self-reliance rather than 'bread and circuses'.
51. Because I believe that people, not governments, know what is best for them and should be allowed to get on with their lives without unnecessary interference and intervention from the state.
52. I believe in both freedom and responsibility. Conservatism is a philosophy uniting both.
53. Conservative goal is to empower people, to have small government and to support individuals when they need it.

Will Gallagher selected for Alyn & Deeside

Gallagher, another young candidate, was the Assembly candidate there last time around.

Labour's Mark Tami has a majority of 8378.

What do the next generation of Conservative MPs believe?

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?'

Ross Thomson selected for Gordon

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.”

Some Halesowen and Rowley Regis Tories want to keep Nigel Hastilow

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

Stuart Penketh selected for Ellesmere Port & Neston

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.

Hastilow rejects charges of racism but regrets mentioning Enoch Powell

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."

The two big remaining seats start selection process

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.

The Birmingham Post turns on Hastilow, its former Editor

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.

Hastilow criticises the Conservative Party's willingness to toe the metropolitan line

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."

Nigel Hastilow's article in full

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.

Another four Scottish selections

...highlighted by the Scottish Tory Boy blog:

• Jim Ferguson selected for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey
• Phillip Lardner selected for North Ayrshire & Arran
• Michael Veitch selected for East Lothian
• Alex Johnstone selected for West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine

Nigel Hastilow has resigned... but he's not really sorry...

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.

Candidate who says Enoch Powell was right is summoned to meeting with Party Chairman

"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.

Who has been selected so far?

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.

1. Gerald Michaluk (Ochil and South Perthshire)
2. Toby Boutle (Ilford South)
3. Mark Spencer (Sherwood)
4. Laura Goodchild (Inverclyde)
5. Alistair Campbell (Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
6. Iain McGill (Edinburgh North and Leith)
7. Robert Oliver (Houghton and Sunderland South)
8. Lee Martin (Sunderland Central)
9. Gareth Hughes (Wrexham)
10. Helen Grant (Maidstone & The Weald)
11. Matthew Groves (Plymouth Moorview)
12. Mark Lloyd-Davies (Bristol South)
13. Adeela Shafi (Bristol East)
14. Nick Yarker (Bristol West)
15. Steve Barclay (North East Cambridgeshire)
16. Edward Legard (Darlington)
17. Chris Skidmore (Kingswood)
18. Chloe Smith (Norwich North)
19. Alberto Costa (Angus)
20. Hazel Noonan (Coventry North East)
21. Royston Smith (Southampton Itchen)
22. Ian Galletley (Stockton North)
23. Huw Merriman (North East Derbyshire)
24. Ian Cuthbert (Washington & Sunderland West)
25. Bob Dalrymple (Stirling)
26. Jeremy Moulton (Southampton Test)
27. Elly Jupp (Hayes & Harlington)
28. Richard Normington (Cambridge)
29. Jason Hadden (Croydon North)
30. Annesley Abercorn (Hazel Grove)
31. Nigel Huddleston (Luton South)
32. Simon Hoare (Cardiff South & Penarth)
33. Rene Kinzett (Swansea West)
34. Jeremy Brier (Luton)
35. Leah Fraser (Wallasey)
36. Mark Bowen (Feltham & Heston)
37. John Bell (Clywd South)
38. Andrea Stephenson (Linlithglow & East Falkirk)
39. Will Gallagher (Alyn & Deeside)
40. Ross Thompson (Gordon)
41. Stuart Penketh (Ellesmere Port & Neston)
42. Jim Ferguson (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey)
43. Phillip Lardner (North Ayrshire & Arran)
44. Michael Veitch (East Lothian)
45. Alex Johnstone (West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine)
46. Derek Thomas (St Ives)
47. Mark Versallion (Stretford & Urmston)
48. Mark Jones (Aberdeen South)
49. Phil Gallie (Ayrshire Central)
50. David Potts (Edinburgh South West)
51. Stewart Geddes (Edinburgh West)
52. Martin McIntyre (Dunbartonshire West)
53. Trefor Jones (Ynys Mon)
54. Flick Drummond (Portsmouth South)
55. Oliver Colville (Plymouth Sutton)
56. Mark Nolan (Dunbartonshire East)
57. Neil Hudson (Edinburgh South)
58. Brenda Porter (Southport)
59. Nick Boles (Grantham & Stamford)
60. Antoinette Sandbach (Delyn)
61. Maria Hutchings (Eastleigh)
62. Stephen Mosley (Chester)
63. Peter Duncan (Dumfried & Galloway)
64. John Wilford (Wolverhampton North East)
65. Ken Wood (Wolverhampton South East)
66. Thelma Matuk (Walsall South)
67. Helen Clack (Walsall North)
68. Chris D Kelly (Dudley South)
69. John Perry (Dudley North)
70. Helen Baker (Bridgend)
71. Douglas Ross (Moray)
72. Chris Walker (Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk)
73. Simon Hart (Camarthen West & South Pembrokeshire)
74. Caroline Brodie (Argyll & Bute)
75. Jonathan Evans MEP (Cardiff North)
76. Matthew Williams (Newport West)
77. Matt Wright (Vale of Clywd)
78. Suzy Davies (Brecon & Radnorshire)
79. Dr Spencer Pitfield (Penistone & Stocksbridge)
80. Ben Gummer (Ipswich)
81. Byron Davies (Gower)
82. Guto Webb (Aberconwy)
83. Alun Cairns (Vale of Glamorgan)
84. Alf Doran (Chorley)
85. Rowena Holland (Nottingham South)
86. Glyn Davies (Montgomeryshire)
87. Matthew Riddle (Thornbury & Yale)
88. Jackie Doyle-Price (Thurrock)
89. Matthew Offord (Hendon)
90. Sian Flynn (Cornwall North)
91. Kevin Davis (Yeovil)
92. Peter Aldous (Waveney)
93. Graham Evans (Weaver Vale)
94. Kevin Hollinrake (Dewsbury)
95. Adrian Owens (West Lancs)
96. Ron Bell (Blackpool South)
97. Edward Timpson (Crewe & Nantwich)
98. Rehman Chishti (Gillingham & Rainham)
99. Rachel Joyce (Harrow West)
100. Philip Allott (Halifax)
101. Graham Robb (Sedgefield)
102. Tony Lit (Ealing Southall)
103. Alex Story (Wakefield)
104. Charlie Elphicke (Dover)
105. John Gough (Barrow & Furness)
106. Nigel Mills (Amber Valley)
107. Tim Archer (Poplar and Limehouse)
108. Ian Gibb (Ealing North)
109. Nigel Dawkins (Selly Oak)
110. Stephen Mold (Derby North)
111. Simon Jones (Dagenham & Rainham)
112. Helen Whately (Kingston and Surbiton)
113. Keely Rogers (Birmingham Northfield)
114. Nigel Hastilow (Halesowen and Rowley Regis) RESIGNED
115. Keith Girling (Bassetlaw)
116. Shaun Bailey (Hammersmith)
117. David Morris (Morecambe and Lunesdale)
118. Jessica Lee (Erewash)
119. Craig Whittaker (Calder Valley)
120. Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough)
121. Chris Whiteside (Copeland)
122. Julie Moody (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
123. David Mowat (Warrington South)
124. Angela Watkinson (Hornchurch and Upminster)
125. Matthew Lobley (Leeds NE)
126. Fabian Richter (Bath)
127. Deborah Thomas (Twickenham)
128. Ben Jeffreys (Cheadle)
129. Jill Skalla (Colchester)
130. Zac Goldsmith (Richmond Park)
131. Gary Ridley (Coventry NW)
132. Hannah Parker (Exeter)
133. John Woodward (Camborne Redruth)
134. Diana Coad (Slough)
135. James Wharton (Stockton South)
136. Simon Rouse (Nuneaton)
137. Daniel Byles (Warwickshire North)
138. Zahid Iqbal (Bradford West)
139. Eric Ollerenshaw (Lancaster and Fleetwood)
140. Jason McCartney (Colne Valley)
141. Chris White (Warwick and Leamington)
142. Neil Parish MEP (Tiverton and Honiton)
143. Damian Hinds (Hampshire East)
144. Paul Uppal (Wolverhampton SW)
145. Karl McCartney (Lincoln)
146. Owen Inskip (Kingswood)
147. Mark Clarke (Tooting)
148. Mark Pawsey (Rugby)
149. Jeff Clarke (Wirral South)
150. Jake Berry (Rossendale and Darwen)
151. Alec Shelbrooke (Elmet and Rothwell)
152. Philippa Stroud (Sutton and Cheam)
153. Susan Williams (Bolton West)
154. David Bull (Brighton Pavilion)
155. Kris Hopkins (Keighley)
156. Caroline Righton (St Austell and Newquay)
157. Jesse Norman (Hereford)
158. Chris Philp (Hampstead and Kilburn)
159. Paul Maynard (Blackpool North and Cleveleys) 
160. Mike Freer (Finchley & Golders Green)
161. Mary MacLeod (Brentford and Isleworth)
162. Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Berwick-upon-Tweed)
163. Amber Rudd (Hastings & Rye)
164. Wendy Morton (Tynemouth)
165. Margot James (Stourbridge)
166. Michael Ellis (Northampton North)
167. Bruce Laughton (Gedling)
168. John Stevenson (Carlisle)
169. Richard Graham (Gloucester)
170. Trevor Ivory (Norfolk North)
171. Anne-Marie Morris (Newton Abbot)
172. Stephen Metcalfe (East Thurrock and South Basildon)
173. Tracey Crouch (Chatham & Aylesford)
174. Julia Mulligan (Leeds NW)
175. Nick King (Mid Dorset and North Poole)
176. Simon Kirby (Brighton Kemptown)
177. Kevin Foster (Coventry South)
178. Stuart Andrew (Pudsey)
179. Bob Blackman (Harrow East)
180. Priti Patel (Witham)
181. Joanne Cash (Westminster North)
182. Anne McIntosh (Thirsk & Malton)
183. Andrew Bridgen (Leicestershire NW)
184. Deborah Dunleavy (Bolton NE)
185. Ian Oakley (Watford)
186. Philip J Milton (Devon North)
187. Mark Coote (Cheltenham)
188. Steve Brine (Winchester)
189. Stephen McPartland (Stevenage)
190. Heather Wheeler (Derbyshire South)
191. Tom Biggins (Telford)
192. Nicola Blackwood (Oxford West and Abingdon)
193. David Nuttall (Bury North)
194. George Hollingbery (Meon Valley)
195. Brandon Lewis (Great Yarmouth)
196. Charlotte Leslie (Bristol NW)
197. Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes)
198. Andrew Griffiths (Burton)
199. Andrew Percy (Brigg & Goole)
200. Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall)
201. Gordon Henderson (Sittingbourne & Sheppey)
202. George Freeman (Mid-Norfolk)
203. Laura Sandys (Thanet South)
204. Gareth Johnson (Dartford)
205. Angie Bray (Ealing Central and Acton)
206. Annunziata Rees-Mogg (Somerton & Frome)
207. Neil Carmichael (Stroud)
208. Sarah Newton (Truro & Falmouth)
209. Louise Bagshawe (Corby)
210. Henry Smith (Crawley)
211. Jane Ellison (Battersea)
212. Esther McVey (Wirral West)
213. Richard Fuller (Bedford & Kempston)
214. Andrew Stephenson (Pendle)
215. Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford)
216. Debi Jones (Sefton Central)
217. Robin Walker (Worcester) 3,144 (Lab)
218. David Gold (Eltham) 3,276 (Lab)
219. Michelle Wiseman (Bury South) 8,912 (Lab)
220. Richard Drax (South Dorset) 1,812 (Lab)
221. Alok Sharma (Reading West) 4,980 (Lab)
222. Jacob Rees-Mogg (North East Somerset) 234 (C)
223. Mike Weatherley (Hove) 420 (Lab)
224. Anna Soubry (Broxtowe) 2,296 (Lab)
225. Harriett Baldwin (West Worcestershire) 2,475 (C)
226. Karen Bradley (Staffordshire Moorlands) 1,035 (C)
227. Damian Collins (Folkestone & Hythe) 11,680 (C)
228. Jason Sugarman (Lewes) 8,474 (LD)
229. Julian Sturdy (York Outer) 1,821 (LD)
230. Jack LoPresti (Filton and Bradley Stoke) 1,201 (C)
231. Chris Heaton-Harris MEP (Daventry)
232. Nigel Adams (Selby & Ainsty)
233. Andrea Leadsom (South Northamptonshire)
234. Pauline Latham (Mid-Derbyshire)
235. Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones (Chippenham)
236. Mel Stride (Central Devon)
237. Bob Neill (Bromley and Chislehurst)

CANDIDATES FAST-TRACKED BEFORE THE A-LIST
(Alphabetical by candidate surname)

1. Cllr Deirdre Alden (Birmingham Edgbaston)
2. Dr Ken Andrew (Carshalton & Wallington)
3. Cllr Richard Bell (Westmorland & Lonsdale) RESIGNED
4. Mark Bigley (Southport) RESIGNED
5. Cllr Andrew Bingham (High Peak)
6. Robert Buckland (South Swindon)
7. Richard Cook (East Renfrewshire)
8. Nick de Bois (Enfield North)
9. Mark Formosa (Taunton)
10. Lorraine Fullbrook (South Ribble)
11. Cllr Mark Garnier (Wyre Forest)
12. Robert Halfon (Harlow)
13. Karen Lumley (Redditch)
14. Penny Mordaunt (Portsmouth North)
15. Nicky Morgan (Loughborough)
16. Cllr Caroline Nokes (Romsey)
17. Paul Offer (City of Chester) RESIGNED
18. Christopher Pincher (Tamworth)
19. Iain Stewart (Milton Keynes South West)
20. Justin Tomlinson (North Swindon)
21. Maggie Throup (Solihull)
22. Marcus Wood (Torbay)

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Rochester and Strood invite you to an "open day"

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!