ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog

Birmingham Conservatives allocate six candidates to their hardest-to-win seats

The candidates for the Birmingham City Seats Initiative have been allocated their seats today:

1. Robert Alden has been adopted for Birmingham Erdington - Projected Labour majority of 9,654
2. Jo Barker for Birmingham Hall Green - Projected Labour majority of 4,191 over the Liberal Democrats
3. William Norton for Perry Barr - Projected Labour majority of 7,589 over the Liberal Democrats
4. Meirion Jenkins for Birmingham Yardley - Projected Liberal Democrat majority of 2,121 over Labour
5. Colin Hughes for Birmingham Ladywood - Projected Labour majority of 6,215 over the Liberal Democrats
6. Shailesh Parekh for Birmingham Hodge Hill - Projected Labour majority of 10,175 over the Liberal Democrats.

A video appeal from Eric Pickles for the Norwich North campaign

Don't tell Mrs Pickles that he had a mixed grill at the end of a day of canvassing!

Join the ConHome coach trip to Norwich North.

Chris Walker stands down as candidate for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk

This afternoon, Chris Walker has announced that due to work commitments, he is stepping down as the Conservative candidate for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk.

He said:

"This was a hard decision to take but my work commitments have made it increasingly difficult for me to give my all to the people of Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk. I know the Conservatives can win this seat - the Scottish Parliament elections and the European elections have shown that.  It is with reluctance that I step down but I offer all my support and help to the new Conservative candidate. I know that BRS can be a Conservative seat again."

The Conservatives need a 6.5% swing from the Lib Dems to take the seat. At the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, the Roxburgh and Berwickshire seat (which makes up more than 60% of the this Westminster seat) was gained by the Conservatives - which genuinely has increased the expectation that this seat could fall into the Tory column come the general election.

Jonathan Isaby

Book your place on the coach to Norwich North

Please use the donations button below to pay £15 to reserve your place on the ConHome coach to Norwich North. It will be leaving from outside St James's Park tube station at 9.30am on Sunday 19th July.

We'll be greeted by by-election campaign spokesman Theresa May MP who will give us a short five minute briefing on Chloe Smith's bid to win this important seat from Labour.

As is now traditional on the ConHome by-election coach there'll be a free Krispy Kreme doughnut for every traveller!

The coach will be back in London (traffic permitting) for 8pm.

If you would rather pay by cheque please send a £15 cheque (made payable to ConservativeHome) to ConservativeHome, 5 The Sanctuary, Westminster, London, SW1P 3JS.

WE HAVE DECIDED TO CANCEL THE CONHOME THAMES CRUISE FOR 23RD JULY SO THAT THOSE WANTING TO HELP OUT ON POLLING DAY IN NORWICH CAN DO SO. THOSE WHO HAVE BOOKED WILL BE RECEIVING A REFUND OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

Totnes will select its candidate via the first ever all-postal Open Primary of a constituency's entire electorate

Totnes, where Anthony Steen is standing down at the next election, is the only one of the seats to have been vacated in recent weeks which is selecting a new candidate over the summer (the others are holding fire until the autumn, once parliamentary assessment boards have been held for the thousands of new applicants to the candidates' list).

And it has been announced today that the new candidate for the south Devon seat will be selected via an all-postal Open Primary ballot of the constituency's entire electorate of 69,000 or so voters.

The BBC reports that the shortlist of eleven hopefuls already drawn up by the Totnes Conservative Association will be reduced to a shortlist of between two and four people hopefuls, at which stage every single voter in the constituency will receive a ballot paper and a freepost envelope in which to return it.

David Cameron welcomed the initiative, saying:

"This is the first time any political party in Britain has sought the views of the voters in such a direct way."

Extolling the virtues of this "exciting opportunity" to engage with the electorate, he added:

"I hope people will take part in this unique chance to have a real say over how politics works and who represents them."

Jonathan Isaby

The journalists and television presenters in the likely next intake of Conservative MPs

Here is the latest in a series of lists categorising some of those standing as candidates in seats which are either notionally Conservative or appear on paper in the top 200 target seats for the Conservatives at the next election.

Yesterday we listed the oldest candidates standing in those seats.

Below is a list of all those who have worked as journalists or television presenters:

Angie Bray (Ealing Central and Acton)
Steve Brine (Winchester)
Richard Drax (Dorset South)
Debi Jones (Sefton Central, pictured)
Jason McCartney (Colne Valley)
Esther McVey (Wirral West)
Annunziata Rees-Mogg (Somerton and Frome)
Caroline Righton (St Austell and Newquay)
Amber Rudd (Hastings and Rye)
Chris Skidmore (Kingswood)
Anna Soubry (Broxtowe)
Alex Story (Wakefield)

Jonathan Isaby

Coach trip to Norwich North, 19th July

ConHome is likely to run a coach from London to Norwich North on Sunday 19th July.  But before going ahead I need to establish the degree of interest.  If you would be willing to give up your Sunday for some leaflet delivering in this crucial by-election please email me.  The cost will be £15.

Thank you.

Tim Montgomerie

PS

Any members or activists from Kent who are keen to offer help in the Norwich North by election are welcome to join Tracey Crouch and the Chatham & Aylesford coach on Monday 20th July.  The coach will be departing from Blue Bell Hill (just off J3 of the M2) at 9am and will be returning from Norwich at 6pm (arriving back in Kent around 9pm).
 
To book a space or for further details please email Andrew at the Chatham & Aylesford Association office: [email protected] or tel: 01634 853322.
 

The oldest Conservative candidates bidding to enter Parliament at the next election

Here is the latest in a series of lists categorising some of those standing as candidates in seats which are either notionally Conservative or appear on paper in the top 200 target seats for the Conservatives at the next election.

Yesterday we listed the ten youngest candidates standing in those seats.

Below is a list of the ten oldest candidates to have given us their dates of birth:

Brenda Porter (Southport, pictured) – January 10, 1939
Ken Andrew (Carshalton and Wallington) – December 21, 1944
John Bell (Clwyd South) – February 10, 1947
Gordon Henderson (Sittingbourne and Sheppey) – January 27, 1948
Eric Ollerenshaw (Lancaster and Fleetwood) – March 26, 1950
Jonathan Evans (Cardiff North) – June 2, 1950
Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) – September 13, 1950
Deirdre Alden (Birmingham Edgbaston) – May 1, 1952
Sian Flynn (Cornwall North) – July 30, 1952
Byron Davies (Gower) – September 4, 1952

NB Several candidates have declined to provide us with a date of birth, although two who also stand out as demonstrating considerable experience over a number of decades are Mid Derbyshire PPC Pauline Latham (who has been married for forty years) and Slough PPC Diana Coad (who joined the party in 1965).

Jonathan Isaby

The twelve candidates for the Norwich North by-election

The full list of candidates (in alphabetical order courtesy of the BBC):

1. Peter Baggs (Independent)
2. Thomas Burridge (Libertarian Party)
3. Anne Fryatt (None of The Above Party)
4. Bill Holden (Independent)
5. Laud Howling (The Official Monster Raving Loony Party)
6. Craig Murray (Put An Honest Man into Parliament)
7. Chris Ostrowski (Labour)
8. April Pond (Liberal Democrat)
9. Rupert Read (Green)
10. Chloe Smith (Conservative)
11. Glenn Tingle (UK Independence Party)
12. Robert West (British National Party).

News about a ConHome coach trip to Norwich will be posted first thing tomorrow.

The youngest members of the potential next intake of Conservative MPs

Here is the latest in a series of lists categorising some of those standing as candidates in seats which are either notionally Conservative or appear on paper in the top 200 target seats for the Conservatives at the next election.

Yesterday we listed those with a background in farming.

Today we are publishing a list of the ten youngest candidates in those top target seats:

Peter Lyburn (Perth and North Perthshire, pictured) – April 15, 1984
James Wharton (Stockton South) – February 16, 1984
Annesley Abercorn (Hazel Grove) – Feburary 1, 1984
Douglas Ross (Moray) – January 27, 1983
Will Quince (Colchester) – December 27, 1982
Chloe Smith (Norwich North) – May 17, 1982
Robert Jenrick (Newcastle-under-Lyme) – January 9, 1982
Stuart Penketh (Ellesmere Port and Neston) – December 4, 1981
Keely Huxtable (Birmingham Northfield) – November 7, 1981
Chris Skidmore (Kingswood) – May 17, 1981

Jonathan Isaby

Sir Peter Brown resigns as agent in Huntingdon days before Jonathan Djanogly seeks to "clear the air" on expenses

8.30pm Update: Sir Peter has just posted the following in the comments below:

"I am interested in your report regarding my retirement as agent for the Huntingdon Conservative Association. You should not read anything into my resignation letter which you have published. My commitment is to the local Party and I will be working towards our success at the forthcoming General Election. However, as I said in my letter to the Chairman, I have health issues which I need to address. Most importantly of all I want to continue my work as a County Councillor representing my constituents in Huntingdon, Alconbury and the Stukeleys. Jonathan is a hard working MP with tremendous support in the constituency. I will work to see the re-election of our local Conservative MP at the forthcoming General Election."

---

Sir Peter Brown (pictured), the long-standing party agent in Huntingdon who worked for many years for John Major when he was the local MP, has resigned.

He had been due to retire next year, but has given his association chairman his three months' notice in advance of local MP Jonathan Djanogly addressing a meeting on Thursday to discuss his expenses claims.

Mr Djanogly returned £25,000 he had received in expenses after the Telegraph reported his claims of £4,936 for security gates at his home, and £13,962 and £12,951 for cleaning and gardening respectively over four years. This is the largest amount returned by a Conservative MP (a figure only equalled by Eleanor Laing).

The meeting on Thursday is not a public meeting, as David Cameron has suggested to MPs, but instead is open only to party members and has been described by Mr Djanogly's local paper as a "clear the air" session.

Well-placed sources tell me that that Sir Peter - who is also a member of Cambridgeshire County Council - has been less than happy at the course of events and has not been willing publicly to defend Mr Djanogly's conduct.

In his resignation letter - reproduced below - he pointedly makes no reference to the sitting MP for whom he has acted as agent since 2001:

Those with farming experience in the likely next intake of Conservative MPs

Here is the latest in a series of lists categorising some of those standing as candidates in seats which are either notionally Conservative or appear on paper in the top 200 target seats for the Conservatives at the next election.

Yesterday we listed those with military experience (including reservists and TA members):

Today we are publishing a list of those with a background in or experience of farming in one way of another :

Peter Aldous (Waveney)
Neil Carmichael (Stroud)
Suzy Davies (Brecon and Radnorshire)
Richard Drax (Dorset South)
Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones (Chippenham)
George Eustice (Camborne and Redruth)
George Freeman (Norfolk Mid)
Alex Johnstone (Aberdeenshire West and Kincardine)
Bruce Laughton (Gedling)
Peter Lyburn (Perth and North Perthshire)
Philip Milton (Devon North)
Neil Parish (Tiverton and Honiton, pictured)
Douglas Ross (Moray)
Antoinette Sandbach (Delyn)
Mark Spencer (Sherwood)
Julian Sturdy (York Outer)

Jonathan Isaby

Diary of a PPC - Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Berwick-upon-Tweed)

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 Anne-Marie Trevelyan, candidate for Berwick-upon-Tweed. It is the most northerly English constituency and since a 1973 by-election has been held for the Liberals (and now Liberal Democrats) by Alan Beith, one of the unsuccessful candidates in the recent Speaker election. He will be defending a notional majority of 8,585, meaning that Anne-Marie requires a swing of 11.8% to gain the seat.

My constituency has 1,000 square miles of unspoilt landscape, from the sea to the Cheviot Hills, with only 58,000 voters. I travel great distances to visit constituents, businesses, schools and voluntary organisations. The fuel bill and poor green footprint is compensated for every day by the warmth, kindness and honesty of my constituents with whom I have the privilege of working for better solutions to many entrenched problems. Here's my diary of the week...

Sunday 28th June

With two kids, we try to keep Sundays  as family days – this works some of the time!  My daughter and I went to church, a chance to contemplate for a few moments.  The coffee after church is now a mini-surgery for me, as friends and neighbours take the opportunity to tell me about local issues and  personal problems. Being a PPC is a bit like being a doctor in our rural community – I am never off duty to constituents, whose needs and frustrations continue regardless of the weather or days of the week. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

So in typical “day off “ fashion, after church we made pasta salad for 25 for our church annual summer lunch, which we dropped off before heading south to a christening.  These young children are the future, these are the ones who make me determined to ensure that we look after our country, our countryside, our villages.

After children to bed, a couple hours on press releases to cover activities of the past few days – wind turbine battles, transport issues, foul smelling manures on local farms...

Those with military experience in the likely next intake of Conservative MPs

Here is the latest in a series of lists categorising some of those standing as candidates in seats which are either notionally Conservative or appear on paper in the top 200 target seats for the Conservatives at the next election.

Yesterday we listed those who are, or have previously been, part- or full-time teachers or lecturers.

Today we are publishing a list of those with military experience (including reservists and TA members):

Philip Allott (Halifax)
Steve Barclay (Cambridgeshire North East)
Ron Bell (Blackpool South)
Andrew Bridgen (Leicestershire North West)
Dan Byles (Warwickshire North)
Richard Drax (Dorset South)
Flick Drummond (Portsmouth South)
Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones (Chippenham)
Keith Girling (Bassetlaw)
Simon Hart (Carmarthen West and Pembrokeshire South)
Kris Hopkins (Keighley)
Bruce Laughton (Gedling)
Jack Lopresti (Filton and Bradley Stoke, pictured)
Jason McCartney (Colne Valley)
Stuart Penketh (Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Simon Reevell (Dewsbury)
Mark Versallion (Stretford and Urmston)

Jonathan Isaby

The teachers and lecturers in the likely new intake of Conservative MPs

For last week's Inside Cameron's Conservatives conference, I conducted some in-depth research into the likely new intake of Conservative MPs, covering those already selected for notionally Conservative seats or those which appear on paper in the top 200 target seats for the Conservatives.

We've already published some observations about the kinds of people they are and the views they hold; here is a list of those standing in thos most winnable seats who are, or have previously been, part- or full-time teachers or lecturers:

Deirdre Alden (Birmingham Edgbaston)
Helen Baker (Bridgend)
John Bell (Clwyd South)
Neil Carmichael (Stroud)
Mark Coote (Cheltenham)
Byron Davies (Gower)
Kris Hopkins (Keighley)
Mark Hudson (Edinburgh South)
Ben Jeffreys (Cheadle)
Bruce Laughton (Gedling)
Jason McCartney (Colne Valley)
Antony Little (Norwich South)
Gerald Michaluk (Ochil and South Perthshire)
Jesse Norman (Hereford and North Herefordshire)
Eric Ollerenshaw (Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Andrew Percy (Brigg and Goole)
Adeela Shafi (Bristol East)

Jonathan Isaby

David Cameron direct mails every Norwich North voter

A letter from David Cameron has been direct mailed to every voter in Norwich North.  Each letter has been personally addressed to every voter.

The letter has two big themes: The expenses crisis and the economic crisis.

Of MPs with controversial expense claims, he tells the letters' readers that "I don’t care if they were within the rules – they were wrong."  He continues: "I’ve been very clear: anyone in my party who refuses to accept the decision of this panel will not be allowed to continue as a Conservative MP."

He then puts honesty and the debt crisis at the heart of his letter:

"We should have the confidence to tell the public the truth – that Britain faces a debt crisis.  Our national credit rating is under threat.  Every international institution agrees that we now need to clear up the mess. Even members of the Cabinet agree, and the Chancellor outlined future cuts in the Budget. But Gordon Brown refuses to face up to what has gone wrong, and what everyone else agrees must be done. The truth is that real spending plans will have to be cut whoever is elected. We have already set out some specific cuts a Conservative Government would make – like ID cards, burgeoning quangos, and the cost of politics. And we have set out whole areas we will radically reform to get better value for money – like education and welfare. We know that if you talk honestly to people about the spending decisions that
need to be taken, they will respect you."

Here is a PDF if you wish to read the whole letter and accompanying survey.

Attached to the letter is a pledge from Chloe Smith, our candidate, promising how she'll handle her own expenses:

Another classic misleading Liberal Democrat bar chart

LibDemVoice had the cheek to complain a fortnight ago that a Tory bar graph wasn't 100% fair (although it was perfectly ok). I hope they will disown the bar chart that appears on their new leaflet in Norwich North! Just look at it. That 4% advantage of the LibDems over Labour - as represented by the LD newspaper's bar chart - looks twice as large as the 10% advantage that the Tories have over the Yellow Peril.

The rest of the newspaper (Download PDF of Lib Dem Newspaper)  is also interesting for its negativity toward Labour and particularly the Greens. It looks like the Yellows are playing for second.

Tim Montgomerie

8.30pm: I'm grateful to Tony Sharp for submitting this:

Pro-nuclear, gay friendly, barely Unionist, very Eurosceptic... meet the next generation of Tory MPs

ConservativeHome has just completed the most authoritative survey so far of the political views of the next generation of Tory MPs. 144 of our candidates in the 220 most winnable seats completed a confidential survey and their answers are recorded in this PDF.  Key findings are illustrated below:

The Guardian covers this report this morning but had the results when only 117 replies had been received.  They regard Eurosceptic as "isolationist" when some of us think it is Europe that is isolationist given its corrupt record on international aid, protectionist trade policies and reluctance to contribute to international security efforts.

Earlier this week ConHome profiled the demographic and other key characteristics of the 'Class of 2010'.

Tim Montgomerie

Tory candidate demands by-election in Leyton and Wanstead as Labour MP quits

Just after the writ was moved yesterday for the by-election in Norwich North, another Labour MP hit by expenses revelations announced his intention to quit at the general election.

Harry Cohen, MP for Leyton and Wanstead, came under fire for redesignating his main home as a property 70 miles from his east London constituency and in announcing his decision to stand down cited the "intolerable stress" he had suffered over the issue, which had also been "detrimental to [his wife] Ellen's heart condition".

Leyton and Wanstead's Conservative candidate, Edwin Northover (pictured), has been making an issue of Mr Cohen's expenses in recent weeks and wasted no time yesterday in saying that he should follow Ian Gibson's example and stand down now to prompt an immediate by-election.

He said:

"Through conversations with local people here it has become clear to me that Harry had lost the respect of those that put him in Westminster. There was genuine anger about his expenses claims and quite frankly bemusement at his claim to be a "better MP than Churchill" . Though he has been a long-standing servant of Leyton and Wanstead, the expenses scandal has raised serious questions about Harry's judgment. It is right that he should step down and he must also consider paying back any money that was claimed inappropriately".

"However, we would like to give Harry Cohen a chance to retire to his Essex home early. We are therefore calling on him to stand down now and call a by-election. We want to offer the people of Leyton and Wanstead a clear alternative to this moribund government".

Jonathan Isaby

Lots of councillors... lots of lawyers... lots of people who have fought for their seats more than once... meet the next parliamentary Conservative party

Yesterday ConservativeHome held its 'Inside David Cameron's Conservatives' conference.  We've already unveiled our finding that Cameron and Osborne are considering a joint Downing Street HQ.  Over the next fortnight we'll be highlighting other aspects of our research.  To get the momentum going we've pasted below some of Jonathan Isaby's key findings on the nature of the next generation of Conservative MPs - the 'Class of 2010':

There will be a big influx of women Conservative MPs...
There are currently 17 female Conservative MPs, of whom 4 are retiring at the next election. But already set to take their place are 10 women amongst the candidates in notionally Conservative-held seats and 31 in the top 116 target seats which, on paper, would deliver a Conservative Commons majority. Of the candidates in the remaining seats in the top 200 Tory targets, a further 18 are women. This would suggest if David Cameron gets a parliamentary majority, in excess of 50 Conservative MPs will be women.

> Yesterday's Seats and candidates post

...and an increase in the number who are gay...
It provoked much comment when David Gold became the first openly gay Conservative candidate in 2001; since then only three Conservative MPs have come out as gay, but Nick Boles (pictured) is set to enter Parliament as MP for the ultra-safe Grantham and Stamford and at least half a dozen other openly gay candidates are poised to win seats this time.    

...or from an ethnic minority
Two candidates from an ethnic minority have been selected for safe Tory seats  - Priti Patel and Helen Grant - with another ten hoping to gain seats currently held by Labour or the Liberal Democrats.

Almost half of the original A-List have got a seat
The controversial priority list of candidates effectively tried to create a fast-track to the better seats for (initially 100) candidates selected by the powers-that-be in the party, of which half were women. Of those original 100 A-Listers, 17 are among the candidates selected for a notionally Conservative seat, with a further 25 standing in target seats.

> The A-listers selected for target seats and for Conservative held seats