ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog

A visit from Shadow Defra Secretary Nick Herbert is the highlight of a busy week of campaigning for Trevor Ivory in North Norfolk

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 Trevor Ivory, who was selected in November 2006 for North Norfolk. Trevor is a solicitor who has lived in Norfolk for over a decade and is married with a young son. He requires a swing of 8.6% to unseat the Liberal Democrat MP, Norman Lamb. Read more about his campaign on his website.

Monday 23rd November
This morning almost felt like a rest as my alarm went off at 05:50 to get me into work on time.  The weekend was a busy one.  Saturday was nothing unusual – an advice surgery in Mundesley in the morning, a working lunch with the campaign team and then meeting local people in Stalham to talk about the old Station Yard site, which has been blighting the High Street for too long.  Sunday was the killer though, and it had nothing to do with politics.  Instead the trouble came in the form of a very cute eight-week-old black labradoodle puppy, Ebony. A day with a new puppy and a very excited three-year-old meant that I was unusually relieved to get up and go to work this morning!

As a candidate with a full-time job I have to try to juggle the competing pressures and today was a good example – after a busy morning I managed to snatch some time over lunch to canvass some people by telephone.  Then after work it was on the train up to Cromer for a meeting with the Association’s Deputy Chairman Political to finalise my literature for the general election.

Tuesday 24th November
I am working from home in North Walsham today so that Lisa and I can go and look at a local primary school for Alex, who will start school next September.  Being at home also gave me the chance to join a group of elderly people in Wells over lunch to discuss their concerns.  North Norfolk has a large number of elderly people and I am always struck by the number of them who are scared about growing older.  Today’s discussion centred on the problem for elderly people in the area who are not cash rich but who have seen the second home market drive up the value of their homes.  These elderly people are living in fear of having to sell their home in order to pay for long-term care.  Needless to say our plans to make sure that no-one has to sell their home to pay for nursing care went down very well.

This evening I am having a quiet one at home doing my share of the puppy-sitting and catching up on constituents' emails and letters...

Four women, three lawyers, three doctors, two ex-military among those selected to replace thirteen retirees

By way of a little stock check we have had thirteen candidates selected to succeed MPs that have announced retirements in recent months:

1. Fiona Bruce for Congleton, lawyer
2. Dr Daniel Poulter for Suffolk Central and Ipswich North, medical doctor
3. Dominic Raab for Esher & Walton, political chief of staff and former Foreign Officer lawyer
4. Claire Perry for Devizes, political adviser and former banker
5. Steve Baker for Wycombe, former RAF engineer
6. Rory Stewart for Penrith and the Border, former Army officer and diplomat
7. Liz Truss for SW Norfolk, think tank leader
8. Stephen Phillips for Sleaford and North Hykeham, barrister
9. Philip Lee for Bracknell, medical doctor
10. David Rutley for Macclesfield, businessman
11. Jonathan Lord for Woking, marketing consultant
12. Julian Smith for Skipton and Ripon, recruitment entrepreneur
13. Sarah Wollaston for Totnes, medical doctor.

We are back at 30% for the proportion of women selected.

There are six plum seats yet to select: Beckenham, Bromsgrove, Gosport, Orpington, Spelthorne and Suffolk West.

Half-a-dozen more retirements are expected.  Perhaps more.

Tim Montgomerie

Are double-barrelled names a problem for Tory candidates?

The Mail on Sunday reports that David Cameron thinks they might be.

The Conservative leader jokingly encouraged Annunziata Rees-Mogg (our Somerton & Frome candidate who recently wrote a diary for ConHome), to change her double-barrelled name to Nancy Mogg:

"Mr Cameron told her: ‘Wouldn’t it be easier all round if you shortened it to Nancy Mogg?’ Ms Rees-Mogg told him she preferred the name she was born with – in full. ‘But Nancy is a lovely name, I called my daughter Nancy,’ he protested. Ms Rees-Mogg would not budge. ‘Nancy Mogg may be shorter but I would rather remain Annunziata Rees-Mogg,’ she replied."

The MoS continues:

"Ms Rees-Mogg’s Old Etonian brother, Jacob Rees-Mogg, 40 – who famously brought his nanny to accompany him on the campaign trail and wears a suit on the beach – is the party’s prospective member for North East Somerset, next door to his sister’s constituency. It is believed Jacob has so far decided against becoming Jake Mogg."

The Sunday newspaper notes that Brighton Kemptown's Simon Radford-Kirby (brought up in a council house) has shortened his name to a simpler Simon Kirby but without pressure from CCHQ.

Our always independently-minded candidate for Chippenham has gone in the other direction. Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones was once just Wilfred Jones!

Tim Montgomerie

Fiona Bruce selected for Congleton

This is what I wrote about Fiona when I profiled her as one of the best twenty candidates yet to be selected:

"Fiona Bruce is the head of a community law firm in Warrington and a national winner of Small Business Bureau's businesswoman of the year award "Women into Business" for the founding and successful development of a business.  She fought Warrington South at the last General Election - achieving one of the best results in the region.  She highlighted Labour's failures on health through Margaret Dixon's case.  She has helped establish a primary school in Tanzania and still oversees a free legal advice clinic "The Drop In", Latchford which has opened weekly for the past 18 years.  In 2009 she was co-founder of an innovative, comprehensive advice centre at "The Foundry Shop", Widnes, offering free legal advice and support on key issues of debt, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, family and relationships."

Runner up in Macclesfield, a contact says Fiona won on the first ballot today.

I could not be more pleased. She is going to be a wonderful, wonderful MP.

Commiserations to the unsuccessful candidates.

Tim Montgomerie

Dr Daniel Poulter adopted for Suffolk Central and Ipswich North

Dr Daniel Poulter was last night selected for the Tory-held seat of Central Suffolk and Ipswich North.  The retiring MP Michael Lord bequeaths a notional majority over Labour of 7,809 to his successor.

It was a close contest; Dr Poulter only emerged victorious in the fourth and final round of voting.  Headmaster Tim Clark was eliminated at that final stage. 

There is a lot more information about Dr Poulter on his personal website.

The East Anglian Daily Press has this report on the selection.

Tim Montgomerie

11.15am: Sources tell me that Iain Dale is the reserve candidate in Beckenham and should fill Daniel Poulter's slot there.

Candidates selected for the two Barnsley constituencies

I learn that candidates have just been selected to fight the two Barnsley constituencies at the general election.

James Hockney will be donning the blue rosette in Barnsley East, where Labour defend a notional majority of 18,298. The Lib Dems start on paper in second place with 14% of the vote, followed closely by the Conservatives with 12.7%.

Meanwhile, Piers Tempest will be the Conservative candidate in Barnsley Central, where Labour will defend a notional majority of 11,839 - again over the Lib Dems with the Tories chasing in third place.

Both will be working alongside Spencer Pitfield, the candidate for nearby Penistone and Stockbridge, who was selected back in August 2007.

Jonathan Isaby

60% of Tory members urge Julie Kirkbride to abandon attempts to stand again

1,596 Tory members answered the latest ConservativeHome survey on 22nd and 23rd November. We asked: "Julie Kirkbride MP is apparently considering standing again as an MP. Which of the following outcomes would you most like to see?" The answers are posted below:

• I'd like her to stand again if she wins the backing of her local Conservative Association: 14%
• I'd like her to stand again if she can win the votes of local people in a Totnes-style primary election involving all constituents: 24%
• I don't want her to stand again: 60%

Tim Montgomerie

UNCONFIRMED Richard Spring MP to stand down as MP for Suffolk West

I gather that an announcement is imminent from Richard Spring MP has announced that he will be standing down as MP for Suffolk West at the general election.

An announcement today means that his association will not have to select a candidate under the restrictive by-election rules, as will be the case for anyone making that announcement after January 1st. (Click here for the list of Conservative MPs who have and haven't confirmed their intentions to ConHome as to whether or not they intnend standing again.)

He will bequeath a 8,735 majority over Labour to his successor as Conservative candidate.

10.30am update:

Here is the text of the letter that Richard Spring has sent today to his association chairman, Cllr Colin Noble:

"I am writing to you to confirm that I shall not be contesting the West Suffolk constituency again, and will be leaving the House of Commons when the General Election is called. 

"I have taken the decision with very mixed feelings. I will have been the local Member of Parliament for eighteen years by the time the General Election takes place next year. It has been the greatest possible honour to have been the parliamentary representative for West Suffolk.  I have enjoyed this role immensely.  It has been a huge privilege to defend and promote local electors’ interests both in Suffolk and in the House of Commons.

"I am most grateful to you for the way you have chaired the Association, and in particular pay tribute to you and Dorothy Whittaker, my constituency agent.  It would not have been possible to fulfil my duties without your guidance and support.

"It goes without saying that I shall give my fullest support to the future prospective parliamentary candidate for the constituency, who I confidently believe will be the next Member of Parliament for West Suffolk."

Afternoon update:

I am hearing that the shortlisting will happen on January 5th, with a final - most likely an Open Primary meeting - on January 15th.

Jonathan Isaby

Diary of a PPC: Melanie Hampton (Mitcham and Morden)

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 Melanie Hampton, who was selected in November 2008 for Mitcham and Morden. Angela Rumbold gained the seat for the Conservatives at a 1982 by-election and held it until the 1997 general election when she was defeated by Labour's Siobhan McDonagh, who Melanie will be challenging at the general election. She needs a 16% swing to gain the seat. Melanie is a wife and mother who also runs her own Insurance Broking business.  She describes herself as "fun, feisty and formidable and more than up for the challenge of this seat".

Monday 16th November
Being a female politician is an advantage because women tend to be good listeners and that is exactly what I have spent the last year doing, knocking on thousands of doors and listening.  Today we took the fight against the expansion of a recycling plant to stage two.  The community don’t want this and I agree with them.  Months of hard work tramping the damp and windy streets, but 535 concerned residents signed the petition and a number came with me to hand this in to Councillor Diane Neil Mills.  Diane is smart and effective.  She pulled off a new train station in 22 months, she gets the job done and yes, she listens too.  The “other man” in my life was also there - Richard Hilton, my hard working chairman, canvass companion and now friend. 

This is politics at its very best identifying those local issues, championing the cause and believing that People Power does work.  It will be some fight to prevent this project but Melanie is in terrier mode and is not going to let go or give up!

Tuesday 17th November
Dog tired today.  Let no one pretend that fighting a challenging seat is easy, it is hard, hard work.  I am always chasing the money to fund the next round of literature, fitting in the admin and nurturing a growing number of activists, squeezing in as many events as possible and the endless round of canvassing.  Another advantage of being a female candidate… multi-tasking is in our DNA.

Tonight we had out Executive and I remember why I love M & M.  All I promise them is months and months of hard graft but we all sense that this is our time and that we will gain council seats and that the parliamentary seat is within our grasp.  A long but lively meeting covering a lot of ground and with some really good ideas coming out of the group.  Can’t resist it… women are very good team players.

Dominic Raab adopted for Esher & Walton

Dominic Raab, Chief of Staff to Dominic Grieve MP, was today selected as the Conservative candidate for Esher and Walton.

He gave up a career at the Foreign Office three years ago to work full-time for the party and has become a champion for civil liberties, authoring The Assault on Liberty – What Went Wrong With Rights.

Read his Platform pieces for ConservativeHome.

He inherits Ian Taylor MP's projected majority of more than 7,000 over the Liberal Democrats.

Congratulations to Dominic and commiserations to the unsuccessful candidates.

Tim Montgomerie

8pm: Commenting on his selection Dominic Raab said:

"It is a tremendous honour to have been selected to represent the Conservative party in Esher and Walton. I would like to pay tribute to the other candidates, the Association's highly efficient management of the primary process and Ian Taylor's outstanding record of public service here. I will be working hard to represent every community across the constituency in the weeks and months ahead."

ConHome has learnt that Sajid Javid came second.

James Forsyth predicts that he Raab will be a star member of the Class of 2010 and tips him for rapid promotion to ministerial rank.

10pm: Statement from Ian Taylor MP:

"There were over 500 attendees for most of the meeting with participation by Conservative members and those from other political and community allegiances. It was well organised. All six candidates had been out and about actively over recent weeks and showed strengths. I wish the unsuccessful ones well elsewhere as this was tremendous experience. Dominic Raab came through convincingly because he demonstrated greater skill in answering the questions, was ready to push back on some of the moderator's deliberate probes and set out with clarity his convictions.  He also showed a warmth of character which matters a lot in contests such as these. I am looking forward to working with him over the next few months as a team. I know he intends to serve all the communities within the Esher and Walton constituency and hope to represent them at Westminster after the General Election."

John Maples declares re-opening of candidates list a "success"

CCHQ have released some numbers about the results of the re-opening of the candidates' list, initiated by David Cameron in May:

Interestingly the numbers do not include breakdowns of male and female candidates - let alone other measures of diversity.

John Maples MP, Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party with responsibility for candidates, issued this statement:

“We have been delighted and overwhelmed by the numbers of people who have expressed an interest in standing for the Conservative Party. Our team in CCHQ has done an excellent job processing the applications. We are only sorry that there is not enough time left to take every application forward and those people should feel free to reapply after the General Election. People from a diverse range of backgrounds and all sorts of occupations have put themselves forward. Four have now been selected as parliamentary candidates which shows the process to have been a success.”

The four candidates adopted so far are: Rory Stewart, Penrith and The Border; John Walsh, Middlesbrough; Nigel Bonson, Sheffield; and Charlotte Vere, Brighton Pavilion.

Tim Montgomerie

Orpington councillor suspended resigns from party over content of leaked emails

CCHQ and the Leader of Bromley Council, Stephen Carr, have today suspended Bromley Councillor Peter Hobbins from the party after the content of emails he wrote to fellow councillors emerged, having been leaked to a Lib Dem blogger.

Cllr Hobbins represents the Orpington ward on Bromley council and in recent days he had been contacted by potential candidates wanting to apply to be Conservative candidate for the Orpington constituency. In the emails written in the early hours of yesterday morning to a dozen fellow councillors, he complained about the number of candidates who did not have "a 'normal' English name".

He continued:

"For hells sake. Why are Candidates Department so keen on these foreign names?!!!!... Maybe I should change my name to something foreign - how does Petrado Indiano Hobbinso sound to you?"

An official statement confirming his supension will be issued shortly.

7.30pm update:

Cllr Hobbins tonight tendered his resignation from the Conservative Party nationally and from the Conservative Group on Bromley Council.

In a letter to Cllr Stephen Carr, the Leader of Bromley Council, Cllr Hobbins apologised for any offence he may have caused:

"My comments were unintentional and meant in no way to offend. I am not and have never been a racists in any capacity".

Jonathan Isaby

David Curry steps down as Standards Committee chairman and refers himself to Standards Commissioner over new Telegraph allegations

David Curry is already standing down as an MP at the next general election, and a new Conservative candidate, Julian Smith, was recently selected.

However, as a final role before leaving the Commons, Mr Curry replaced Sir George Young as chairman of the Commons' Standards and Privileges Committee when the latter was recently promoted to the Shadow Cabinet.

But tonight the Skipton and Ripon MP and former minister has stood down from that position on the back of this story in tomorrow's Daily Telegraph:

"David Curry, the MP who heads the committee responsible for policing Commons expenses, has claimed almost £30,000 for a second home that his wife has banned him from staying in, The Daily Telegraph can disclose. After learning of the Telegraph investigation, David Curry resigned as chairman of the Parliamentary Standards and Privileges Committee and now faces a formal inquiry into his claims. The Conservative MP is accused of having an affair with a headmistress in his Yorkshire constituency and using a taxpayer-funded cottage to meet his lover.

"A Telegraph investigation has learned that four years ago, after discovering the affair, Mr Curry’s French wife Anne demanded that he does not stay at the Yorkshire property as a condition of the couple’s reconciliation. However, the former Conservative minister has continued claiming thousands of pounds a year for the house – which he could expect to sell for a substantial profit after leaving Parliament. After the Telegraph approached Mr Curry with the allegations, he announced that he was referring himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner. He said he would stand down from the Standards committee during the investigation, which is expected to take several months."

More here.

Friday update: The Press Association reports Mr Curry's reaction to the story:

Speaking from his family home in Saffron Waldon in Essex, he said: "My wife has not banned me from anything. I had an affair, there is no denying that. We got over it. If you were repairing your relationship with someone, you would want to spend as much time with them as possible."

On his expenses, he added: "My expenses are very modest. They are completely above board. I am the second cheapest MP in Yorkshire."

According to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Curry's wife demanded he did not use the cottage in his Yorkshire constituency after she discovered five years ago that he was having an affair. But challenged over the allegation, he said: "That's akin to Harry Potter. I have stayed in it hundreds, if not thousands, of times. I have had the house since 1987, I have not bought it on a speculative whim."

Jonathan Isaby

Charlotte Vere selected for Brighton Pavilion

I have just heard that Charlotte Vere has been selected from the field of six at tonight's Open Primary meeting to fight Brighton Pavilion at the general election.

According to her biography on the Brighton Conservatives' website:

"Charlotte is a successful social entrepreneur and businesswoman.  As CEO of Big White Wall, she led a team which developed therapy for depression using the internet.  Big White Wall won the 2009 Guardian Award for Innovation in Community Engagement.  Charlotte is a key campaigner for Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative candidate in Richmond Park, and she has a passion for the environment.  She is married with two children.If selected, Charlotte will ensure that Brighton remains a wonderful place to live for all, by seeking a fair balance between the needs of residents and the demands of visitors.  She has pledged to act as local champion for all businesses including conferencing and hospitality, tourism and retail."

Thursday update: The Brighton Argus reports that after the first four candidates were eliminated there had to be two final ballots after the first brought a dead heat between Charlotte Vere and Mary Weale. And the BBC have a short video clip of Charlotte after her victory.

Jonathan Isaby

Nick Clegg's Tory opponent in Sheffield Hallam, Daniel Gage, resigns after ten days

Thursday update: Click here to read Daniel Gage's post in the comments section below explaining his position.

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On November 7th, Daniel Gage was selected as Conservative PPC to challenge sitting Lib Dem MP Nick Clegg in Sheffield Hallam as part of the City Seats Initiative.

However, within days of his selection, 24-year-old Daniel was disqualified from his membership of Dronfield Town Council for not having attended a Town Council meeting for six months.

The Sheffield Telegraph now reports today that he has resigned as PPC for Sheffield Hallam in response to complaints from members of the local party and that the association will now begin the process of selecting a new parliamentary candidate.

Jonathan Isaby

Robin Millar selected for Arfon

Last night Robin Millar was selected to fight the redrawn constituency of Arfon in North Wales.

He was born and bred in Bangor in the constituency, which also includes Caernarfon and much of Snowdonia. Since 1999 he has been a member of Forest Heath Council in Suffolk and he is Programmes Director at the Centre for Social Justice.

The seat will be defended for Plaid Cyrmu by Hywel Williams, who has a very narrow notional majority over Labour, according to UK Polling Report. The Conservatives begin in third place.

Jonathan Isaby  

Exclusion of local candidates upsets Beckenham grassroots

There is growing discontent amongst members of the Beckenham Conservative Executive over the shortlist for the seat. The Executive at its' meeting on October 21st indicated that it wanted to someone who would be a first rate constituency MP and that the preference was for a local candidate. The shortlist, agreed by the six representatives in agreement with CCHQ contains no local candidates despite the fact that both London MEP Syed Kamall and GLA Member for the constituency James Cleverly applied. Former MP and until the last AGM Beckenham Constituency Chairman Cllr Nicholas Bennett and Cllr Steve Carr, the Leader of Bromley Council together with Cllr Neil Reddin are also believed to have thrown their hats in the ring.

“We look stupid”, said one member of the Executive:

“Effectively we are saying that there are none of these people are worthy of interview or consideration. Instead we have a shortlist of county councillors from Surrey, a journalist and Col Bob Stewart. The only candidate with any local connection is a 30 year old doctor who works at the local hospital but who is a councillor in Surrey and on the shortlist at Suffolk Central and Ipswich North. The shortlist looks like a typical CCHQ list and many of the names are familiar from previous shortlists around the country”.

CCHQ heavily control the shortlisting process now and are actively discriminating against local candidates because they know the open primary process involving a public hustings - more correctly called an open caucus by Douglas Carswell MP - favours them.  Resentment is being caused because local candidates are not even having the opportunity to appear in front of their fellow members but are being rejected at a secret meeting in Millbank Tower.

Tim Montgomerie

SW Norfolk was threatened with All Women Shortlist if it didn't readopt Liz Truss, says Daily Mail

So reports Jason Groves of The Daily Mail:

"Members of South West Norfolk Conservative Association were given an unprecedented ultimatum that if they dumped her at a meeting on Monday, a new shortlist of of centrallyapproved candidates would be imposed on them. They were even threatened with being made guinea-pigs for the Tories' first ever all-women shortlist, party sources said."

As it happens, Ms Truss' victory on Monday night was emphatic and so the threats weren't necessary.

I am suspicious of The Mail story. I believe David Cameron's public promise that there will be no automatic, by-design All Women Shortlists. If the threats were made I would suspect they were made by junior officials.

Tim Montgomerie

Liz Truss survives deselection vote

Liz Truss has survived the deselection attempt by some members of the South West Norfolk Conservative Association. My sources suggest she won the vote by 132 votes to 37.

I trust this draws a line under the sorry saga of the last three weeks and that the association will now unite behind Liz Truss as she prepares to fight the seat at the general election.

Jonathan Isaby

The final six names in the frame for Congleton

The Congleton Conservative Association’s Executive Council has agreed a list of six names  - four women and two men - to go forward to an Open Primary meeting.

They are:

• Simon Baynes
• Fiona Bruce
• Janet Clowes
• Matthew Hancock
• Eveleigh Moore Dutton
• Merryn Myatt

Detailed biographies of the six are below, each of whom is seeking to fill the shoes of Ann Winterton, who has represented the seat since 1983 and will bequeath a majority of 8,246.

The Open Primary meeting  - open to any voter in the constituency who registers in advance - will be held at Congleton Town Hall on Saturday 28th November and will be chaired by former BBC North West political editor, Jim Hancock.

Below are detailed biographies of the six provided by the Congleton Conservatives:

A year after his selection, Rahoul Bhansali gives an insight into his campaign to regain Streatham for the Conservatives

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 Rahoul Bhansali, who was selected in November 2008 for Streatham. Streatham was a Conservative seat until 1992 when it fell to Labour. The sitting MP, Keith Hill, is retiring at the General Election and last month, Betty Evans-Jacas, a Labour councillor for Brixton Hill, defected to the Conservatives, signalling an end to Labour’s domination of the Brixton area. Rahoul has been actively involved in politics in South London for over eleven years and was Deputy Chairman of Bermondsey Conservatives.  He holds down a full time job as a management consultant.

Sunday 8th November
Start the day laying the wreath at the Remembrance Sunday service on Streatham Common.  It was good to see so many people from across the community groups paying tribute to those fallen.  The end of the service had a local finish with the magnificent drums of the Brixton Pathfinders. 

Quick lunch and then out to lead our regular Sunday afternoon canvassing, firming up the vote in Clapham Common: big hopes here after a great win in the mayoral elections last year. 

I meet a local teacher who, despite having voted Labour all her life, is very impressed by Michael Gove’s proposed education reforms and so is tempted to vote Conservative in 2010.  The message in Streatham is: “If you want to get rid of Brown, you have to vote Bhansali".

Spent the evening at a debate organised by the Streatham Baptist Church on the subject of War and Peace.  I was asked to give an opening address on whether “pacifism is untenable”.  PPCs from the other parties took part in the debate as well as two theologians and a serving RAF engineer.  The debate was great fun and saw some fantastic and often soul-searching questions from the audience.

South West Norfolk won't be the last of its kind if CCHQ carries on interfering

I have written an article for today's Independent about the Liz Truss business. They cut nearly one-third of my text for the newspaper. The full, original article is pasted below.

"The most important thing that happens today is that Liz Truss is confirmed as the Conservative candidate for South West Norfolk. Liz is exactly the kind of MP who will enrich the House of Commons. She is intelligent and an independent thinker. She doesn’t come from a conventional Tory background but is nonetheless a champion of grassroots Conservatives and their beliefs. I hate to think how many good people have been discouraged from political service because of the intrusive public examination that she has had to put up with over recent weeks.

The second most important thing is that Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) learns the correct lessons from the whole unhappy saga. Blaming sexism and some unforgiving moralism will not do.  Many Tory members don’t like adultery and no civilised society should. But the saga is more complex than grassroots traditionalism.

Members of all mainstream parties have fewer and fewer rights in our increasingly centralised political system. For Conservative Party members new rules have prevented them from deselecting Europhile MEPs. The members’ magazine has been scrapped. Attending party conference has become more expensive since these annual gatherings were moved from affordable seaside resorts to England’s big cities. Michael Howard even mounted an unsuccessful bid to end members’ right to choose the party leader.

Barking PPC Simon Marcus responds to Nick Griffin's announcement of his candidacy there by emphasising the Conservative message of unity over division

Simon Marcus (pictured), the Conservative candidate for Barking since June, has just issued the following statement in response to the announcement today by BNP leader and North West England MEP Nick Griffin that he will contest the seat at the general election:

"The Conservative campaign in Barking is about unity. Much has gone wrong in Barking and in Britain in the past ten years under Labour and we have to put it right.

"Whether we are talking about anti-social behaviour, pressure on housing, the recession, or out of control immigration, the language of anger, division and hate will get us nowhere. All of us are suffering for this government.

"Our job in Barking and in Britain is to solve these problems for the whole community because, truly, we are all in it together."

Jonathan Isaby

The Conservative MPs who say they intend standing again - and those who have yet to confirm their intentions

As has been clear for a while now, any sitting Conservative MP who announces their intention to stand down on or after January 1st 2010 will leave their association only able to choose from a centrally-imposed shortlist of three or four when it comes to selecting a new candidate.

That was why, two and a half weeks ago, I emailed this letter to the 166 Tory MPs who have not announced that they are standing down, reminding them of this fact and seeking confirmation of their intentions.

My first question was as follows: "Have you been re-adopted to stand at the general election and is it your intention to be a candidate at the general election?"

I also asked: "Do you undertake to make a final decision about whether to seek re-election before Christmas, i.e. not to announce your retirement - save an unforeseen health problem - at such a time that would restrict the rights of your members in choosing a successor?"

Of those who responded to my email, very few answered the second question, on the grounds that it was hypothetical because they intend standing. But those who did answer "Yes" to that question are marked with an asterisk in the lists below.

Below are the responses I have received so far. I will update the lists as and when further MPs get back to me - and to encourage them to do so, tomorrow I will be emailing those who have yet to respond.

Those whose intentions are known:

As Stephen Byers quits, how do you fancy being Conservative candidate for North Tyneside?

Yesterday, former Cabinet Minister Stephen Byers announced that he is quitting the Commons at the next election.

Today I learn that the Conservatives in his North Tyneside constituency will be selecting a Conservative candidate for the seat on Saturday December 5th.

Whilst it may not be top of the Tory target list (it is in fact 338th on the list), there are seven Conservative councillors within the boundaries of the constituency - and the wider North Tyneside Council has a directly-elected Conservative Mayor, Linda Arkley.

The Conservatives begin in third place on 18%, less than 1,500 votes behind the second-placed Lib Dems, and it is the kind of seat which would seem ideal for a local man or woman from the Tyneside area seeking a first-time candidacy.

Jonathan Isaby

Sir Peter Tapsell seeking re-adoption in Louth and Horncastle on November 27th

I recently invited all sitting MPs to tell us whether they had been re-adopted for their constituency and to re-iterate whether they intend standing at the general election.

The intention was to focus the minds of both MPs and associations, since any MP who announces their intention to retire after January 1st will cause their local party to have a shortlist of three candidates imposed on them by CCHQ under the "by-election rules".

I will shortly publish the list of those who have and haven't so far replied, but one who I have since gathered is yet to be re-adopted is Sir Peter Tapsell, the long-serving MP for Louth and Horncastle.

Sir Peter - who will be 80 early next year and is the second oldest MP, after Ian Paisley - was first elected to the Commons in 1959, but lost his Nottingham West seat in 1964 after one term. But he returned in 1966 as MP for Horncastle and has represented that patch of Lincolnshire under one boundary or another ever since.

As such, he is the second longest continuously serving MP and will become Father of the House if re-elected at the next election, since the current incumbent, Labour MP Alan Williams, is retiring.

I gather that it was only this week that Sir Peter indicated to his local association that he wished to be re-adopted as candidate for the general election.

The association's executive committee will therefore meet on November 27th to consider his re-adoption - and I hear noises that some on the committee are minded to vote against his automatic re-adoption.

I am not in a position to gauge the extent of the support for such a move, but were Sir Peter to fail to be re-adopted by the executive, the decision would then have to go to a special general meeting of the whole association three weeks later.

I'll report any further developments as and when I hear anything.

Jonathan Isaby

Two safe seats feature among the latest six to be seeking a candidate

Today the call has gone out for applications to the following six constituencies:

Two safe seats where the sitting MP is standing down

• Orpington - where John Horam recently announced his retirement. He will bequeath a notional Conservative majority to his successor of 5,221 over the Liberal Democrats.
• Spelthorne - where David Wilshire recently announced his retirement. He bequeaths a majority of 9,936 over Labour to his successor.

Two seats where a candidate recently stood down

• Caerphilly - where Craig Piper has just stood down as PPC. The seats has been in Labour hands since 1918 and the current MP, Wayne David, will defend a notional majority of 13,517 over Plaid Cyrmru, with the Conservatives in third place on 14.7% of the vote.
• Cambridge - where Richard Normington stood down as PPC last month. The sitting Lib Dem MP, David Howarth, has since announced that he will be stepping down as well. He will bequeath a notional majority of 5,834 over Labour to his successor as Lib Dem candidate, with the Conservatives starting in third place with 17.3% of the vote. The seat was Tory-held for all but one year between 1950 and 1992, when it was gained by Labour, who in turn lost it to the Lib Dems in 2005.   

And two further seats in Wales

• Ceredigion - A seat which has a long history of Liberal/Lib Dem representation, although was briefly held by Labour in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and had a Plaid Cymru MP between 1992 and 2005, when Mark Williams regained it for the Lib Dems. He has a notional majority of 218 over Plaid Cymru, with the Tories in third place on 12.4% of the vote.
• Llanelli - A seat which has returned a Labour MP at every election since 1922, sitting MP Nia Griffith has a majority of 7,234 over Plaid Cymru, with the Conservatives in third place with 13.7% of the vote.

Applications for these seats must be submitted by Monday November 30th at Midday.

Jonathan Isaby

Craig Piper stands down as PPC for Caerphilly

I have just had it confirmed that in the last week or so, Craig Piper - who was selected in January 2009 as PPC for Caerphilly - has stood down as candidate there due to work commitments.

Jonathan Isaby

Labour easily beat the SNP at the Glasgow North East by-election as the Tories attain third place

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Scroll down for Friday afternoon update.

Yesterday's Glasgow North East by-election saw Labour win the seat vacated by Michael Martin after he resigned as Speaker with a majority of 8,111 over the SNP.

Comparisons with recent elections in the seat are impossible as most of the main parties have not opposed the Speaker, but it is worth noting that in every single other contested seat in Glasgow in 2005, the Conservatives were trailing in fourth place.

So the third place of Conservative candidate Ruth Davidson, who was aided by many visits from high profile shadow cabinet figures including David Cameron, is a creditable result - with the other ten candidates chasing her all losing their deposits.

The SNP will be disappointed not to have been able to pull off a repeat performance of their dramatic gaining of Glasgow East last year, although the record low turnout for a Scottish by-election of 33.0% brings comfort to no-one.

The result in full was:

William Bain - Labour - 12,231 (59.4%)
David Kerr - SNP - 4,120 (20.0%)
Ruth Davidson - Conservative - 1,075 (5.2%)

Charlie Baillie - BNP - 1,013 (4.9%)
Tommy Sheridan - Solidarity - 794 (3.9%)
Eileen Baxendale - Liberal Democrats - 474 (2.3%)
David Doherty - Green - 332 (1.6%)
John Smeaton - Ind/Jury Team - 258 (1.3%)
Kevin McVey - Scottish Socialist Party - 152 (0.7%)
Mikey Hughes - Ind - 54 (0.3%)
Louise McDaid - Socialist Labour Party - 47 (0.2%)
Mev Brown - Ind - 32 (0.2%)
Colin Campbell - Tilt - 13 (0.1%)

Jonathan Isaby

1.30pm update:

Defeated Conservative candidate, Ruth Davidson, has issued the following statement:

“I am delighted with this result. Glasgow North East was always going to be a difficult fight for us but we came third and held onto our deposit. This contrasts with similar by-elections before 1997, when Labour was the third place party it lost its deposit [both in Newbury and in Christchuch in 1993]. I personally have loved the campaign and have enjoyed meeting the great people of Glasgow North East, seeing what good is going on in local communities as well as seeing what needs to be done to improve people’s lives.

“Labour have been given another opportunity to deal with the many problems in the area – after 74 years it is time they took this responsibility seriously and I hope Willie Bain lives up to his promise to stand up for his constituents.

“I think the Conservative Party has shown that we will put up a strong fight whenever and wherever we need to in Scotland. That will very much be the case in the British General Election when it comes and I would expect the Conservatives to win seats all over Scotland.”  

The six finalists for Beckenham

• Tariq Ahmad
• Lynne Hack
• Sally Marks
• Jo Anne Nadler
• Daniel Poulter
• Bob Stewart