ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog

David Cameron will inherit a parliamentary party that cut its ideological teeth under the Iron Lady

ConHome's Tim Montgomerie has written for The Times about the beliefs of the next generation of Conservative MPs.  Below is a slightly longer version of his piece.

In six or seven years’ time the Conservative manifesto for the 2010 election will have been superseded.  David Cameron’s time as Prime Minister might be coming to an end or might even have ended.  His age of austerity will be giving way to an age of ecology, an age of scientific revolution or, perhaps, even the age of Boris.  We don’t know.  But one legacy of his early leadership will still be casting a long shadow over the political stage.

If David Cameron becomes Prime Minister next year he will have presided over the largest ever increase in the number of Conservative MPs.  Half of the parliamentary party will be new if he achieves a Commons majority of one.  Fifty to sixty of the new MPs will be women.  The larger the majority the larger the infusion of new blue blood.  This new generation of Conservative MPs will provide the votes for David Cameron’s programme.  They will be the ministers of the future, making decisions throughout Whitehall.  Their number might even provide the next Prime Minister.

What they believe matters.  Are they Cameroonian loyalists?  Are they career politicians?  Are they economic, social or national security conservatives?

Polling of nearly 150 adopted candidates by ConservativeHome.com suggests that the 2010 intake are to a large extent followers of Margaret Thatcher and her revolution that started rolling thirty years ago.

Just as Margaret Thatcher had a parliamentary party that learnt its politics under Macmillan and Heath, David Cameron will inherit a parliamentary party that cut its ideological teeth under the Iron Lady.

Norsheen Bhatti: Why I quit the Lib Dems to join the Conservatives

Until last weekend, Norsheen Bhatti was the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Chelsea and Fulham, having previously contested Brent East and Battersea for the party at the 2001 and 2005 elections respectively. She announced at the weekend that she was defecting to the Conservatives - a decision which she explains here.

My principles are the same, it's just my party is now different. That's what I tell people who question my decision to leave the Lib Dems and join the Conservatives, especially to the 'friends' who are shocked, upset, angry and feeling betrayed.

One of the great things about living in a democracy is that we are allowed to freely choose the political party of our choice and enjoy the freedom of expressing our political beliefs; so maybe I should be the one feeling betrayed by them and those people who call me silly and other names for not allowing me to express my political views!

The decision to leave was not an easy one and I am proud of myself for having had the courage and conviction to do it. Since Charles Kennedy stopped being leader of the Lib Dems, the party has had no real focus and has just been drifting along in the wilderness.

I don't have the time or what to be a drifter - I entered politics because I want to make a real difference in society and in peoples' lives, therefore really making a change. A party that drifts along cannot do this, nor would it, in its present state, be a party that would be fit to form a government.

In areas including ID cards, anti-Heathrow expansion, the environment, civil liberties, savings and investment, and education, the Conservatives have policies in which I have always believed, and which can be implemented under a Conservative government.

I have to admit it too that at the Mayoral elections I voted for Boris and I'm glad that I did and that he got in! It's great that I no longer have to keep it a secret - I'm a supporter of the Conservatives and what the party has to offer our society today.

By means of a further explanation, below is the full text of my letter of resignation to Nick Clegg:

Dear Nick,

I writing to you to formally let you know that I no longer wish to be a member of the Liberal Democrats and as a result withdraw as Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Chelsea and Fulham.

I joined the Liberal Democrats when I was 18 years old as a student in my first week of University at the freshers' fair and since then have been actively involved within the party.  I was President of the Keele University Lib Dems, have been on various committees including LDYS [Liberal Democrat Youth and Students], WLD [Women Liberal Democrats] and EMLD [Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats], worked as a Parliamentary researcher/assistant including for Paddy Ashdown when he was leader, been in party political broadcasts, and I have also been a PPC in Brent and Battersea.

When I heard you speak at the Operation Black Vote event in the House of Commons a few weeks ago I realised that you as leader and the Liberal Democrats are the not the party I had once believed in and is so very out of touch with everyday life and people in our country.  It saddens me to say but that day I lost all faith in you and the party and I can no longer continue to be a part of the Liberal Democrat party of today.

The political party that I want to be a part of would be representative of the people and views of all members of British society and be a modern party both in outlook and its vision in implementing policy.  I want a leader who will be dynamic and encourage those people who are feeling disenfranchised to think about politics, participate and join in the debate.

The Liberal Democrats does not do or have any of the above and I am therefore choosing to join the Conservative party which I believe has all these qualities and much more to offer our country today and for the future.

Yours sincerely,

Norsheen Bhatti

Paul Shea selected for East Ham

On Monday night, Paul Shea was selected to fight East Ham at the next general election.

Paul is founding partner of a specialist fund management firm and since 2006 has been chairman of Conservative Business Relations for the London region. He is also on the committee of Conservative City Future and a member of the Conservative City Circle.

He said on his selection:

"I am delighted to have been selected as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for East Ham. East Ham is one of the poorest and the most ethnically diverse constituencies in the country. The people of East Ham have been badly let down by Labour, both locally and nationally, and I look forward to working hard to remove them."

East Ham is held for Labour by Stephen Timms, who will defend a notional majority (after minor boundary changes) of 13,649 over Respect. The Conservatives begin in third place with around 14% of the vote.

Lord Portillo?

It was one of the oddest pairings in politics.  At the 2001 General Election William Hague's top two frontbenchers were the socially liberal Michael Portillo and the socially conservative Ann Widdecombe.  Let's just say that they didn't always get along.

Conservative Party members have already voted to put Ann Widdecombe in the Lords.  There's just the small matter now of the next government to agree.

PoliticsHome are polling today on whether Michael Portillo should be appointed to the red benches, too.  What do ConHome readers think?

A former Defence Secretary and leadership candidate.  Chairman of the Man Booker Prize Jury.  Serial media pundit.  Full biog on his website.

I dislike Michael Portillo's blood-on-the-carpet modernising but I admire his foreign policy outlook.  I'd support his nomination but there is the question of whether he would take the Tory whip.  I'm not sure he's still a party member.  He certainly didn't vote for Boris.

Tim Montgomerie

Diary of a PPC: Pauline Latham (Mid Derbyshire)

Each week a different PPC provides us with an insight into life as a candidate and gives us a flavour of their own campaign and interests. If you are a candidate and are keen to be featured, please email Jonathan Isaby.

This week's diary is written by Pauline Latham, candidate for the newly-created Mid Derbyshire constituency. The parliamentary candidate for Broxtowe in 2001 and a candidate for the European Parliament in the East Midlands in both 1999 and 2004, Pauline was selected for this seat in June 2006 and will defend a notional Conservative majority of 5,329. She has been a member of Derby City Council for most of the last two decades, serving as mayor between 2007 and 2008.

A complicated new seat

This last week has been really interesting as the PPC for the new seat of Mid Derbyshire because alongside all the normal things I am doing, there was the  Budget and then the Conservative Party Spring Forum at the weekend.

I am now spending the last few months - possibly a year - before the next General Election getting around Mid Derbyshire, a complicated new seat because it is made up of parts of four different constituencies: Derby North, West Derbyshire, Amber Valley and Erewash. The only town in it is Belper, known for its association with the late George Brown.

Instead of being a Labour stronghold as it was in his day, it is now much more Tory with all sixteen town councillors being Conservative. It has three different Police divisions, four different councils, two PCTs, two different education authorities, eleven Town and Parish Councils, making it quite a difficult constituency to have any cohesive identity. I am undertaking a series of ‘Latham Listens’ meetings involving schools, the Police, doctors' practices, Parish councils and others.

Lib Dem parliamentary candidate defects to the Conservatives

During the Conservative spring conference, it has been announced that the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Chelsea and Fulham, Norsheen Bhatti, has defected to the Conservatives.

Chelsea and Fulham is a newly created (safe Conservative) seat, which will be defended at the next election by Greg Hands, the sitting Conservative MP for Hammersmith and Fulham.

Party chairman Eric Pickles welcomed Ms Bhatti to the Conservatives, saying:

"We are a broad church and are welcoming new people to the party all the time as we hold this tired and discredited government to account. Liberal Democrats can achieve the changes they so desperately want through the Conservative Party. Like them we share similar values on civil liberties, the environment and quality of life issues."

Mr Pickles can count it as a vindication of his "lovebombing" of the Liberal Democrats.

More details in tomorrow's Sunday Telegraph.

Jonathan Isaby

2pm on 26th April: Picture of David Cameron and Eric Pickles welcoming Norsheen Bhatti into the Conservative Party

72% of Conservative members say yes to 'Baroness Widdecombe'

 Last Saturday I urged the Tory leadership to put Ann Widdecombe in the House of Lords.

Over the last two days I have been asking Tory members if they agree in the monthly survey.

This is the result:

More results of the monthly survey will start appearing from tomorrow.

Tim Montgomerie

Mark Coote explains how this weekend's Conservative Spring Forum in Cheltenham will boost his campaign to win the constituency from the Lib Dems

Mark Coote grew up and was educated in Cheltenham, and he was selected as Conservative candidate for his home town in November 2006 (having contested Hastings & Rye in 2001 and 2005). Here he looks forward to welcoming many ConservativeHome readers to the town this weekend as the party gathers in Cheltenham for its Spring Forum.

A record number of delegates are due to attend this year’s Spring Forum in the beautiful Regency Spa town of Cheltenham, centre for the Cotswolds.

I am bound to say, I am delighted the Spring Forum is coming to Cheltenham. Amidst the doom and gloom of localised news late last autumn, Caroline Spelman’s arrival in the town to announce that Cheltenham had been chosen to host the Spring Forum was a huge boost for morale. I have to admit, I kept the pressure on, asking both David Cameron and Caroline Spelman to consider Cheltenham as a venue. We are already a successful and renowned Festival town, so why not a Conference town, too?

2,000 delegates will descend upon the town this weekend, bringing a shot-in-the-arm to the local economy, much to the delight of local hoteliers and restaurateurs. For those who have not visited Cheltenham either recently or at all, they will find a hugely attractive town with a café society, excellent theatres, shops, parks and a warm welcome from residents.

This will also help lift our political fortunes in a town we have not won at a General Election since 1987. The flamboyant and much-loved local man, Sir Charles Irving, was the last Conservative incumbent of Cheltenham. I drove his election battle-bus in the 1979 contest, one of the most memorable elections of my life.

Celebrating St George's Day in Bradford

Kris Hopkins, our candidate in Keighley and Ilkley has sent in these two photographs from Bradford's celebration of St George's Day. Click on the images to enlarge them. He commented:

"There appears to be some surprise in the media about the fact that Bradford hosted a St George's Day parade today. But there was no reason for anyone to be surprised.  This morning's parade  - which featured school children from across the district as well as the Bishop of Bradford, civic leaders and anyone else who wanted to join in - was fun and, judging by the faces of people who came along to watch, hopefully it will now become an annual event.  Bradford district is a place of many identites but there is also a shared identity.  St George's Day seemed the perfect date to underline this reality."

If you have any images to share (from any where in the country) please email us.

Where are the original A-Listers now? The 27 who are still looking for a seat

In the last of our series detailing what happened to the original 100 members of the party's so-called priority list of candidates, below we list the 26 who are still seeking a parliamentary seat for the next election.

(On Monday we listed the 27 who are no longer seeking a Westminster seat, on Tueday we listed the 18 who have been selected to stand in Conservative held seats and yesterday we detailed the 27 who will be standing in target seats.)

Carolyn Abbott Candidate in Sheffield Heeley in 2001 and Barnsley East & Mexborough in 2005 (as well as the 2004 European Elections), Carolyn had a baby earlier in the Parliament when most of the seats were selecting candidates. She is now chairman of the North Derbyshire Conservatives (covering the Bolsover, Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire constituencies) and is keen to stand in a seat in Yorkshire or the East Midlands.

Tariq Ahmad He contested Croydon North in 2005 and was made party vice-chairman responsible for cities in 2008. A Merton councillor since 2002, he is currently the Cabinet Member responsible for Community Safety and Engagement.

Amar Ahmed A GP who is a partner in a health centre in Cheshire which is pioneering practice-based commissioning, Amar has also advised the party on health policy. He was the party's candidate in Manchester Blackley in 2005 and would like to stand in a seat in the North West at the next election.

Clive Allen Candidate in Devon North in 2001 and Somerton & Frome in 2005, he is working in the City and is a member of the party's Patrons' Board.

Where are the original A-Listers now? The 27 who have been selected for target seats

In the third of our series detailing what happened to the original 100 members of the party's so-called priority list of candidates, here are the 27 - of whom 13 are men and 14 are women - who have been selected for seats which are Conservative targets. All swing calculations are based on the notional results of the 2005 election as if fought on the new boundaries (as calculated by Professors Rallings and Thrasher of the University of Plymouth).

(On Monday we listed the 27 who are no longer seeking a Westminster seat and yesterday we listed the 18 who have been selected to stand in Conservative held seats.)

Louise Bagshawe The best-selling author - not to mention regular contributor to the CentreRight blog - was selected in October 2006 for Corby in Northamptonshire. She needs a swing of 1.6% to unseat Labour's Phil Hope, who has a majority of 1,517.

Gavin Barwell Croydon councillor and political consultant Gavin was selected in Feburary 2008 for Croydon Central, in the wake of sitting MP Andrew Pelling's decision to stand down. After boundary changes, Labour start with a notional majority of 328, meaning that Gavin requires a swing of 0.4% to take the seat.

Angie Bray A member of the London Assembly until last year's election, Angie was selected in October 2006 for the newly-drawn Ealing Central & Acton constituency. Labour start with a notional majority of 839, meaning that Angie requires a swing of 1.1% to take the seat.

Steve Brine Formerly the party's area campaign director for Hampshire, Steve was selected in November 2006 for Winchester, where he has served a deputy chairman (political) of the local Conservative association. Sitting Lib Dem MP Mark Oaten is standing down, and Steve needs a swing of 6.4% to gain the redrawn seat.

David Bull The TV doctor was selected in December 2006 to fight Brighton Pavilion, where sitting Labour MP David Lepper is standing down. After relatively minor boundary changes, David needs a swing of 6.6% to gain the seat.

Mark Coote The former teacher and two-time candidate for Hastings & Rye was selected in November 2006 for Cheltenham, the town in which he grew up. Boundary changes mean that the sitting Lib Dem MP, Martin Horwood, would be ousted on a swing of 0.3%.

Where are the original A-Listers now? The 18 who have been selected for Conservative seats

In the second of our series detailing what happened to the original 100 members of the party's so-called priority list of candidates, here are the 18 of them - 9 men, 9 women - who have been selected for seats which are notionally Conservative (yesterday we detailed the 27 who are no longer seeking a Westminster seat).

Some of the 18 expect to replace MPs who are standing down, whilst others are standing in newly-drawn seats created by the Boundary Commission. There are also a few who are fighting constituencies which are nominally held by another party on the existing boundaries, but which would have returned a Conservative in 2005 based on the new boundaries (as calculated by Professors Rallings and Thrasher of the University of Plymouth).

Harriett Baldwin Previously candidate for Stockton North in 2005, in one of the earliest selections after the inception of the priority list, Harriett was chosen in July 2006 to contest West Worcestershire, where Sir Michael Spicer is standing down. She will defend a notional majority of 3,053. She gave up her full time job managing pension fund investments almost immediately, and after two years decided to leave paid employment and work for herself on a part-time basis.

Steve Barclay A two-time parliamentary candidate (Manchester Blackley in 1997 and Lancaster & Wyre in 2001), Steve was selected in January 2008 to stand in North East Cambridgeshire, where Malcolm Moss is standing down. He will defend a notional majority of 7,726. He currently works for Barclays UK Retail Bank as Head of Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions.

Nicholas Boles Variously a Westminster councillor, Director of Policy Exchange and candidate for Hove in 2005, Nicholas was selected in October 2007 for Grantham & Stamford, the seat currently represented by Quentin Davies, who defected to the Labour Party and has since been made a minister. He will defend a notional majority of 7,308. He served as interim chief of staff to Boris Johnson at City Hall and is currently working with Francis Maude in the party's Implementation Unit, considering how a future Conservative Government will put its manifesto into action.

Lisa Francis adopted for Dwyfor Meirionnydd

Former Welsh Assembly member Lisa Francis was selected as the Conservative PPC for Dwyfor Meirionnydd at the weekend.  Lisa was AM for Mid and West Wales between 2003 and 2007 and then served as Assembly spokeswoman on culture and the Welsh language.

Dwyfor Meirionnydd is held by Plaid Cymru by a projected majority of 8,101.

Virginia Morris adopted for West Ham

Virginia Morris, a Richmond-upon-Thames councillor, was adopted yesterday for West Ham.  The projected Labour majority over Respect is 13,877.

Update: More details on Virginia...

Virginia is married with a daughter and has been a Councillor for Richmond upon Thames since 2002, holding the portfolio of Shadow Cabinet Member for Civic Pride and Planning. Previously she stood for parliament for Oxford East in 2005.  She holds a PhD in engineering becoming a partner and later a director of one of the leading consultancies specialising in environmental engineering, building design and consultancy services, winning the Queens Award for Enterprise in 2004. She changed careers after spending two years living in Lao PDR, the first working for the United Nations Development Programme and the second walking hundreds of miles in remote areas undertaking research. From this work she has written two books on the Vietnam War. 
 
She said on her selection:

"I am proud to have been selected as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for West Ham. The constituency and Newham Council have been run for too long by Labour and I am looking forward to working with the Conservatives here to oust them."

Where are the original A-Listers now? The 27 who are no longer looking for a seat

In the first of our series detailing what happened to the original 100 members of the party's so-called priority list of candidates, here we identify the 27 who are not now seeking a parliamentary seat for the next election.

• Four are either sitting MEPs seeking re-election or candidates hoping to be elected to the European Parliament in June;
• Three have have been appointed to Boris Johnson's administration in London;
• Two have defected to other parties (one each to Labour and the Lib Dems);
• One has been ennobled; and
• The other 17 have a variety of reasons for not pursuing a parliamentary career.
  

Martin Callanan MEP He stood in Gateshead East in 1992 and Tynemouth in 1997, but has been an MEP for the North East of England since 1999 and is seeking re-election there in June.

Pam Chesters A councillor in Camden throughout the 1990s, she stood in Bristol West in 2001. Pam initially applied for seats and had several interviews before deciding not to pursue the search for a parliamentary seat any further. She has been Chairman of the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust since 2001 and has recently been appointed Boris Johnson's adviser on Health and Youth Opportunities.

Tim Collins A former press secretary to John Major and member of the Downing Street Policy Unit, he was elected MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale in 1997 and held a number of frontbench posts, including  a series of roles in the shadow cabinet under three party leaders. However, Tim became the only high profile MP to fall victim to the Lib Dems' so-called "decapitation strategy" at the 2005 general election. He applied for and was interviewed in several seats in 2006 and early 2007, but then stopped applying for seats and left the candidates' list in April 2008. He told ConservativeHome: "I firmly now do not wish to return to the Commons - my life has moved on and is much better for it."

Peter Cox Candidate for Exeter in 2005, Peter is chairman of his local ward Conservatives but has put his political aspirations on hold "for the time being" as he concentrates on his legal career as a partner in a firm of solicitors.

Diary of a PPC: Gareth Johnson (Dartford)

Each week a different PPC provides us with an insight into life as a candidate and gives us a flavour of their own campaign and interests. If you are a candidate and are keen to be featured, please email Jonathan Isaby.

This week's diary is written by Gareth Johnson, candidate for Dartford in Kent. After fighting Lewisham West in 2001, he first fought Dartford in 2005, losing then to Labour’s Howard Stoate by 706 votes, meaning that he now requires a swing of 1% to gain the seat. Gareth is a local man who went to Dartford Grammar School and lives with his family in the constituency. He is 39 years old and a solicitor.

Monday 13th April

I am woken at 6am by our 4-month-old Golden Retriever puppy licking my face! He somehow managed to get out of his puppy pen and into our bedroom. I decide to concede defeat to him and get up to wash the dog slobber from my face – oh the glamour of being the Parliamentary Candidate for Dartford!

Despite it being Easter Monday, we have arranged a canvassing session as part of our County Council/Euro Election campaign, which is now in full swing, and we are confident of making significant progress in the four County Council Divisions in Dartford that we don’t currently hold. We are campaigning in Greenhithe, an up-and-coming area situated between Bluewater Shopping Centre and the new Ebbsfleet International train station. The canvassing went well. My typical candidate pessimism often prevents me believing the poll leads, but there are plenty of fed up, former Labour Party supporters out there.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 reasons to vote Conservative

ConHome would like to more regularly feature excellent literature produced by our candidates.

This leaflet from our candidate in South Ribble, Lorraine Fullbrook, caught our eye as a simple summary of the party's main vote winning policies.  Lorraine's leafletting campaign has been backed up by online advertising, too.

If you have a campaign product that you'd like to promote to others on this website please email Tim.

Click on the leaflet to enlarge it.

Ann Widdecombe deserves a seat in the House of Lords

ConservativeHome is half way through our search for one hundred peers.  Madsen Pirie of the Adam Smith Institute was the final nominee in the first tranche.  Jonathan Isaby is pausing while more nominations are collected and we will resume the feature shortly.

One decision we took was not to include sitting MPs in the nomination process but I'm going to make an exception today.  I heard some gossip - and it is only gossip - that Ann Widdecombe was unlikely to be nominated for a peerage.

It's true that Miss Widdecombe has sometimes made herself unpopular with the current leadership - not least over the A-list.  Many activists don't like her views on foxhunting and her attacks on Michael Howard were regrettable but I still think she deserves a place in the Upper House.

Here are a few reasons:

• An MP since 1987 she was a very effective Government Minister at the end of the Major years.  She will be the most senior female Tory retiring at the next General Election (although she'd hate the idea of being put in the Lords because of her gender!).
• In our darkest, earliest hours of opposition she lifted morale.  From the backbenches she led the onslaught against Tony Blair at PMQs.  Those feisty performances led William Hague to bring her on to the frontbench.  Her speeches at Party Conference when she was Shadow Health Secretary and Shadow Home Secretary were enormous treats for activists.
• She is only 61.  She has the health and spirit to make an active contribution to the Upper House.
• Tony Benn divides the world of politicians into weather vanes and signposts.  Miss Widdecombe is definitely a signpost.  She is unafraid to say what she thinks in an age when too many politicians won't move until they've seen what an opinion poll thinks they should say.  Her straight-talking is one of the reasons why she is such a popular figure in the country.  She writes a weekly column for The Express.  People like her candour even when they disagree with her views.
• The House of Lords would benefit from her socially conservative, Catholic voice.  Her views on the family and her campaigning for the unborn are supported by millions of Britons.  Those Britons deserve formidable representatives in the Lords.  A Baroness Widdecombe would be such a representative.
• She continues to work hard for the party to this day.  A little research has led me to discover that Ann Widdecombe still attends two or more events per week in the support of our party.  Just ask Mark Coote in Cheltenham, Andy Stephenson in  Pendle, Nigel Adams in Selby, Mel Stride in Central Devon, Robert Buckland in Swindon South, Conor Burns in Bournemouth West, Mark Reckless in Rochester and Strood.  The list is a long one...

I've often said that David Cameron should show generosity towards parliamentarians who have sometimes crossed him and it would be a unifying, statesmanlike gesture for him to put Ann Widdecombe on the red benches.

Tim Montgomerie

PS And for the suspicious readers out there I have had no contact with Ann Widdecombe in the preparation of this post!

Rupert Matthews: An update on the European campaign in the East Midlands

Rupert Matthews is third on the list of candidates for the East Midlands at June's European Parliament election. Here he gives us an update on that campaign.

If you are an MEP candidate and would like to write about the campaign in your region for ConservativeHome, please email Jonathan Isaby.

The Euro Campaign in the East Midlands has been one of the more interesting of the various elections in which I have stood as a candidate. The pace has been brisk, and has been quickening as we get closer to the start line for the formal campaign in May/June.

Compared to being a Council or Parliamentary Candidate, the Euro Campaign has been rather odd for us Euro Candidates. We have had no Branch or Association to support us and although everyone across the East Midlands party has been very helpful, it is not quite the same. Similarly, with six counties and around 3.5 million voters to cover, campaigning has been very different.

As a Council Candidate or Parliamentary Candidate, you could expect to get involved with specific issues and concerns. There are very few of these that cover the entire East Midlands that we can make our own. Usually, of course, it is Parliamentary and County candidates who have ownership of issues – and quite right too.

Our team in Derby, for instance, has been quick to highlight Labour’s dreadful decision to take a contract for railway rolling stock away from that city. We have helped out whenever we can. Council by-elections have been among the key events for getting stuck into street campaigning. I’ve lost count of the number of times we have been out delivering, canvassing or manning street stalls to back up local campaign teams. Great fun, and how I was brought to campaign from the great 1979 victory onwards.

Diary of a PPC: Annunziata Rees-Mogg (Somerton and Frome)

Each week a different PPC provides us with an insight into life as a candidate and gives us a flavour of their own campaign and interests. If you are a candidate and are keen to be featured, please email Jonathan Isaby.

This week's diary is written by Annunziata Rees-Mogg, candidate for Somerton and Frome in Somerset. The seat was gained in 1997 by the Liberal Democrat, David Heath, who has held it with a three-figure majority ever since. With boundary changes coming in at the next election, Annunziata has to overturn a notional Lib Dem majority of 595 in order to gain the seat, which will entail achieving a swing of less than 1%. Annunziata is a freelance journalist who fought Abervaon at the last general election. She was selected at an open primary in October 2006.

There is nothing like starting with a cliché - so a week might be a long time in politics but it’s a few seconds in the travails of a Parliamentary candidate. As I sit in the Somerset sunshine reflecting back on the last week it is amazing how quickly it has flown by.

Monday 6th April

Monday is never my most exciting day, so I’ll keep it brief. In the morning I speak to my constituency office and decide on what events - past and future - we are going to use as press stories. Spend the rest of the day writing up press releases before heading off to see a couple of friends in the evening. The highlight of the day was finishing Infidel, My Story by Aayan Hirsi Ali - a remarkable woman who used politics to fight for what she believed in. (Tip: no matter how many people tell you that Berocca is great, never take it at night unless you want to finish a particularly good book: it makes a double espresso seem like a sedative…)

Tuesday 7th April

Yet more admin. Normally my weekdays would be stuffed with political meetings but as Parliament is on recess it is much quieter and I take the opportunity to reply to various e-mails from voters in Somerton & Frome. Never know what to expect, today I had a query from an ex-soldier who was based in Palestine when Israel was created, asking for an update on my views of the situation in the Middle East post the Israeli elections; another on an alleged planning permission scam; mixed in with the usual fears about local schools, health services and the state of the economy. Muse briefly on how many fewer people are mentioning the environment since the credit crunch began. In Somerset we are fortunate to have a low unemployment rate, but job insecurity is rife and many people are working fewer days or hours a week - let alone all the pensioners whose savings now reap scant rewards. There is a huge hidden toll in the official figures. Get an e-mail from Shadow Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt agreeing to receive a petition that I am running with local pubs to help save their businesses. They will be delighted to find out they can come up to Westminster to represent Somerset pubs.

Diary of a PPC: Richard Cook (East Renfrewshire)

This is the latest in ConservativeHome's new ongoing series in which each week a different PPC provides us with an insight into life as a candidate and gives us a flavour of their own campaign and interests. If you are a candidate and are keen to be featured, please email Jonathan Isaby.

This week’s diary is written by Richard Cook, candidate for East Renfrewshire, the Scottish constituency formerly known as Eastwood. Having fought Glasgow South in 2001, Richard contested East Renfrewshire in 2005, when he reduced Labour MP Jim Murphy's majority to 6,657. The seat is unchanged for the next election, meaning that Richard requires a swing of 7% to oust the Secretary of State for Scotland (in the equivalent seat at the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, the Conservatives were only 891 votes behind Labour). He served as Vice Chairman of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party from March 2006 until May 2008, represents Conservative Friends of Israel in Scotland and is Director in Scotland of the Campaign Against Political Correctness. He also writes a regular blog.

Saturday 28th March

Get up to a host of text messages and voicemails about a Telegraph (Scottish Edition) story I had helped with the previous day.  Basically Glasgow City Council owes East Renfrewshire Council more than £600,000 and our Labour MP, Labour MSP and Labour Council have done nothing to get us this money from their Labour colleagues in Glasgow, despite a Court of Session judgment in early December 2008.  My call for Secretary of State for Scotland, Jim Murphy, to spend less time manufacturing political spats with the SNP, by going on overseas junkets, and more time fighting for the people of East Renfrewshire seems, somehow, to have been cut from the story.

It’s a bright sunny morning - ideal canvassing weather, given the thousands of households I visited over the winter in pouring rain and the freezing cold.  Unfortunately I have to attend a West of Scotland Conservatives Training Day.  Four breakout sessions covering Get Out The Vote, Fundraising, Media Communications and Delivery Networks – followed by a rally speech by Jackson Carlaw MSP – take us through to lunch.  I am then joined by my new Association Chairman to meet with the formidable Marion Little to review progress in East Renfrewshire on a number of fronts.  From Marion’s feedback it appears we are making some positive progress on canvass activity and delivery network and she provides me with some very useful support in telling my Chairman what’s expected of him and his new team.

Fighting any marginal seat is difficult but Jim’s elevation to the Cabinet provides a new set of challenges, not least of which is the amount of money the Labour Party are pumping into his campaign for re-election.  Direct mail and telephone blasting seem to be their weapons of choice and from what I hear it seems Labour are up to similar tricks in other Cabinet members’ seats.  As we cannot compete financially, we need to be cleverer in the way we approach campaigning on a local level.

Come home to find my now heavily pregnant wife watching yet more rubbish on TV, giving me the ideal excuse to get back out to watch Scotland v Holland at my local tennis club. Until February of this year, I was President of Giffnock Tennis, Squash & Hockey Club and steered it through a massive development programme. There’s a lot to be proud of at the Club including the 48 inch widescreen TV on which the sixty or so of us are able to enjoy watching Scotland being humbled by a bunch of Orangemen.

Adrian Berrill-Cox adopted for Islington North

Adrian Berrill-Cox was selected last night to be the Tory candidate for Islington North.  The Tories won 12% of the vote in 2005.  The seat is held by Labour's Jeremy Corbyn with a majority of 6,716 over the Liberal Democrats.    Adrian is a barrister and works in financial regulation, having worked at the Bank of England and the FSA.

Adrian issued this statement:

“I am very grateful to the members of Islington Conservatives for placing their trust in me to be their candidate.  I’m joining a highly capable and very energetic team and I’m looking forward to working with them to make a real impact in the constituency.  We have a strong case to make for Conservative values and policies in Islington and I intend to make it.  The people of Islington have had to put up with ineffective and expensive local government, petty infighting and grandstanding from the Liberal Democrats and Labour for too long and, will, I suspect, be glad of a new voice with something useful to say.  As the recent Mayoral elections have shown, the Conservatives now offer a genuine alternative in Islington and our local authorities are already showing that there’s a better way for London than bad administration and higher Council Tax.  It’s a message I shall be very glad to spread. Even if Labour chooses to delay the reckoning as long as possible, there’s much to be done.  The European elections are in June and then we will have numerous events and a great deal of campaigning in the lead up to the council elections in 2010 and the General election. Every Conservative vote counts, so I hope that people will get behind us and join in our campaign for change.”

“Vote Berrill-Cox!"