« January 2010 | Main | March 2010 »
Yesterday she resigned. Today Joanne Cash has decided to stay as Tory candidate for Westminster North. A lot will be written about this over the next 48 hours.
Paul Waugh's full account: "Audience members said that Ms Cash’s walkout proved why she was unsuited to be the candidate. "This is what happens when you get someone who’s inexperienced and overpromoted," one source said later. A 10 minute break took place during which Mr Hancock and others were in frantic negotiations with the leadership. One person said that Mr Cameron himself was on the phone - "He’s livid", they said."
Andrew Pierce also has an account in The Daily Mail. He emphasises the tactics used by the Cameron leadership against the local Association.
Iain Martin: "Cash “tweeted” the news of her reverse-resignation in frankly bizarre (again, no other word will do) style. She said: “I did resign. Assoc did not accept. CCHQ has resolved specific issue so I am not leaving. It’s official DC has changed the party!!!!!!!!” Not exactly Margaret Thatcher, is it?"
The price for Ms Cash reversing her resignation...?
The seat is the Tories' number 75 target with a projected Labour majority of 3,021.
Ms Cash resigned at a special meeting of the Association tonight - also attended by Eric Pickles and Lord Strathclyde - following internal tensions in the local party.
9.45pm: CCHQ mounting effort to reverse decision.
Tuesday morning: More at The Daily Mail.
Tuesday 8pm update: CCHQ are informing the press that "Joanne Cash remains the Conservative candidate for Westminster North"
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 George Lee, who was selected in March 2009 for Holborn and St Pancras, where he is challenging for Cabinet Minister, Frank Dobson. Born in Hong Kong, George came to the UK as a child and served in the police for seventeen years, and was the first Chinese officer to reach the rank of Inspector. Since then he has worked as a management consultant and served as executive Vice President at T-Mobile. Read more about him and his campaign on his website.
Mid-way through the morning I attended the flower laying ceremony at the Ghandi memorial in Tavistock Square with the Indian High Commissioner and Foreign Affairs Minister. During the ceremony I wondered what Ghandi would have made of the 7/7 bombings on the square and the current revelations at the Iraq War Inquiry.
Sunday 31st January
Spend the day telephone canvassing from home. We were incredibly lucky that Geneva [the CCHQ call centre] agreed to canvass the whole constituency before Christmas and results were excellent. We are now sweeping up numbers that Geneva had not been able to get an answer. Canvassing from home, especially on a Sunday, allows me to spend the day with my wife and two children.
New research by ConservativeHome today shows the extent of the likely historic increase in female and Black and Minority Ethnic representation inside the Conservative parliamentary party after the general election.
In the House of Commons at present there are 18 female Conservative MPs out of 193 - equivalent to 9.3% - of whom 5 are retiring (Angela Browning, Julie Kirkbride, Jacqui Lait, Ann Widdecombe and Ann Winterton) and 13 are seeking re-election (Nadine Dorries, Cheryl Gillan, Justine Greening, Eleanor Laing, Anne McIntosh, Anne Main, Theresa May, Maria Miller, Anne Milton, Chloe Smith, Caroline Spelman, Theresa Villiers and Angela Watkinson).
There are just two Conservative MPs from a Black or Minority Ethnic (BME) background - equivalent to 1.0% - both of whom are seeking re-election (Adam Afriyie and Shailesh Vara).
It is now clearer than ever that those numbers will be blown out of the water at the general election and that David Cameron will have succeeded in presiding over the most radical overhaul of the gender and ethnic make-up of the Conservative parliamentary party.
NB The figures below assume that all sitting Conservative MPs are returned and that seats are gained by the Conservatives in the order in which they appear on the target list as compiled by Profs Rallings and Thrasher at the University of Plymouth
Selections in the safe seats
51 candidates have been selected for the seats where Conservative MPs are standing down, or where boundary changes have created new Conservative seats or converted existing ones into Conservative seats. Of those 51 candidates in the safe seats, 16 (31.4%) are women and 4 (7.8%) are from a BME background.
The women are (starting with the safest):
The BME candidates are (starting with the safest):
Retaining those seats alone would result in a total of 29 women Conservative MPs (13.9% of the total) and 6 BME Conservative MPs (2.9%).
If the Conservatives win an overall majority
The Conservatives need to gain 117 seats (additional to the 209 the party is deemed to hold already under the notional statistics) to gain the smallest of Commons majorities.
In these seats, 32 women and 6 BME candidates have been selected, which would result in totals of 61 women Conservative MPs (18.7%) and 12 BME Conservative MPs (3.7%) sitting on the green benches.
This morning's Daily Mail reports how CCHQ are cracking down on candidates' online output.
On Wednesday all candidates were instructed to "check all newspaper articles and press releases, videos or blogposts about national issues with the relevant Press Officer."
Some candidates are furious - seeing CCHQ exhibiting tendencies towards control freakery reminiscent of New Labour.
A Conservative source attempted to reassure the Mail, however, saying that the edict only covered comments on policy and was designed to ensure that candidates outlined the party's views correctly. The spokesperson continued:
"We are encouraging people to Twitter. Our candidates are free to write what they like on blogs, newspaper websites and other electronic media. This e-mail is simply a reminder that they should double- check factual details about national policy."
Tim Montgomerie
This afternoon, at a special general meeting of Suffolk Coastal Conservative Association, Therese Coffey was selected on the first ballot from a field of six to replace John Gummer as Conservative candidate at the general election. Nadhim Zahawi came second (as he did in Devizes).
She put in a superb performance - and I should know as I was presiding over the meeting!
She told me afterwards:
"I am thrilled to have been chosen by the great people of Suffolk Coastal Conservatives. There are many issues to tackle here and I have a lot to learn from John Gummer but the critical thing is to win the general election three months' today. Tonight I'll be celebrating but tomorrow I'll be starting work for the people of Suffolk Coastal - and I will be moving into the constituency by Valentine's Day."
I am reliably informed that she is set to be Suffolk's first ever female MP.
She will defend a notional Conservative majority of 9,674 over Labour.
Jonathan Isaby
I am delighted to report that my very good friend Sajid Javid has been selected for Bromsgrove.
We've been friends since I was Exeter University with him, David Burrowes MP and Robert Halfon (1988 to 1991). Saj and I ran the Exeter Enterprise Forum together - a campaign group that attempted to promote capitalism to students. We produced leaflets for the 1990 Party Conference opposing Britain's ERM membership!
Sajid, Robert and David all wanted to be MPs when we ran the University Conservative Association and it now looks like all three will soon be Tory MPs. Robert is our excellent candidate in Harlow.
If Sajid can defend Julie Kirkbride's 10,080 majority he will be the Conservative Party's first MP from a Muslim background.
More than that he is a big believer in the work of the Centre for Social Justice and a first class economic thinker from his very successful years in emerging market finance.
Sajid is a star and today is not only a big day for him and his beautiful wife, Laura, but a very good day for the Conservative Party.
Tim Montgomerie
> Read his ConHome Platform pieces.
8.15pm: Sajid won 70% of the vote in a final round against Charles Barwell. I hear that Charles had a strong local following but that Tina Stowell was particularly impressive on the day.
8.30pm Statement from Sajid Javid:"It is a tremendous honour to have been selected to represent the Conservative party in Bromsgrove. I would like to pay tribute to the other candidates, the Association's efficient management of the selection process and Julie Kirkbride's outstanding record of public service here. I will be working hard to represent everyone across the constituency in the weeks and months ahead."
After the previously-selected candidate Colin Hughes stood down for family reasons, Conservatives in the seat currently represented by Clare Short have chosen Nusrat Ghani as their new candidate.
Nusrat, who has family in the constituency, was educated at state schools in inner city Birmingham and her varied working career has seen her operating at a senior level in the financial, charitable, political and media sectors.
She said on her selection:
“It is an honour to have been chosen to represent Ladywood’s residents at the upcoming General Election. This is an exciting time for Ladywood as Birmingham city centre continues to transform thanks to flagships projects such as the new library and the proposals released yesterday for the regeneration of Paradise Circus.
“However, Ladywood is suffering from high levels of unemployment and is one of the areas worst hit by the effects of Gordon Brown’s recession and I look forward to working with local residents and the Ladywood Conservative Association to bring around a Conservative Government and implement the right policies to address these issues and get our region working again.”
Dominic Fisher, chairman of Birmingham Ladywood Conservatives, added:
“I am delighted that the association have chosen such a strong candidate for the forthcoming General Election. In Nusrat we have found a local candidate with the experience, dedication and passion to truly represent the entire community in Ladywood.”
After boundary changes, the Conservatives start in third place in Birmingham Ladywood with 8.4% of the vote and the new Labour candidate, Shabana Mahmood, will defend a majority of 6,804 over the Liberal Democrats.
Jonathan Isaby
Here is the latest nomination in our series highlighting people David Cameron should consider appointing to the House of Lords, since any Conservative administration formed after the general election would be able to call upon the support of the lowest number of Conservative peers in history.
If you would like to nominate someone, please email Jonathan Isaby with your suggestion, including key arguments for the nomination as well as biographical information. The sources of nominations will be treated confidentially where requested.
No. 61: Dr Tim Evans
Rebecca Baty writes:
> Previous nomination: General Sir Mike Jackson
"Dr Tim Evans is a former Chief Executive of the Centre for the New Europe in Brussels (2002-2005), Director of Public Affairs at the Independent Healthcare Association in London (1993-2002), and Head of the Slovak Prime Minister's Policy Unit in Bratislava (1991).
"Today, he is Managing Director of the predictive public affairs consultancy Farsight SPI and Director of Business Development for the Stockholm Network. He is also the Senior Fellow for Personal Liberties at the Adam Smith Institute and a Senior Fellow with the Centre for the New Europe.
"He has a PhD from the London School of Economics and has recently been made a member of the Mont Pelerin Society.
"He is a family man living in London, with his wife Dr Helen Evans, who also is involved in campaigning for greater nursing independence.
"I believe that his experience in rebuilding a shattered economy after years of socialist ruination would be invaluable to a new Parliament, and his experience in Brussels as a sceptic invaluable in helping forge our relations with Europe."
Here is the latest nomination in our series highlighting people David Cameron should consider appointing to the House of Lords, since any Conservative administration formed after the general election would be able to call upon the support of the lowest number of Conservative peers in history.
If you would like to nominate someone, please email Jonathan Isaby with your suggestion, including key arguments for the nomination as well as biographical information. The sources of nominations will be treated confidentially where requested.
No. 60: General Sir Mike Jackson
James Dancer writes:
"Former Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Mike Jackson saw service in all of the major operations of the post-Cold War period from Northern Ireland to Sierra Leone and Iraq, and brings an understanding of the entire breadth of British military, diplomatic and intelligence strength.
"Known well to his senior counterparts in the militaries of the US and other allies, he has served under governments of all political stripes since the 1960s.
"General Jackson might prefer to sit as a crossbench peer but would be strongly supportive of our determination to create an effective National Security Council, to repair the military covenant, support veterans and maintain the transatlantic alliance.
"Having acted with perhaps excess enthusiasm in bringing in other senior military figures as advisers, the appointment of a former CGS as a neutral backbench peer would underline our commitment to create an effective and expert second chamber.
"The next government, through the strategic defence review and our other reforms, will shape our role in the world for decades to come: a voice as distinctive and experienced as that of Mike Jackson should be heard in Parliament.
> Previous nomination: Gyles Brandreth
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 Nick Hillman, who was selected in December
for Cambridge, where sitting Lib Dem MP David Howarth is standing down and he has his sights on gaining the seat, which last held for the Conservatives by Robert Rhodes James until 1992 (at which election it was gained by Labour). You can read more about Nick's campaign on his website, donate to that campaign here and follow him on Twitter.
Monday 25th January
We welcome a new volunteer who is joining us for six weeks to learn about politics. Our first task is a canvassing session. We find many supporters, though we also find the Labour vote holding up. At least Labour voters often willingly say who they support, so we get clear information. We also chat with a former Lib Dem activist who complains his old party runs Cambridge like a one-party state. He may not vote for us, but he certainly won’t vote for them.
In the evening, I speak at a Burns Supper fundraiser. It is only my second full speech since becoming the PPC and my nerves show, but I get the chance to thank the outgoing PPC, who is an old friend. The dinner is to help get a second Tory councillor in Coleridge ward, and we have a strong candidate in Andy Bower.
In my speech, I express hope that election day 2010 will be more successful for me than the last one. In 2005, I was mugged while getting out the vote and – after leaving the police station – found the front wheel and saddle of my bike had been stolen! I also mention the time I met Margaret Thatcher which, as she was rather rude to me, won a laugh.
Tuesday 26th January
Our Association Chairman, Dr Sarah El-Neil, and I have been working hard to get our first proper piece of literature for 2010 ready. We are in essay-crisis mode. The biggest problem is that we have so much to say that it is hard to boil it down to the essentials.
Recent Comments