Tim Montgomerie
CCHQ is currently reassessing candidates and whether they can stay on the approved list. As part of the process they are asked to sign the form above, agreeing to there being no Appeal.
This seems to be unfair and unnecessary. Many candidates have given many years to the party, working in by-elections, in their own seats, attending party launches, spending lots of money on party events. They are essential to the smooth working of the party.
The interview process that will now decide their future is described in the brief note reproduced below. Most of the competencies were formally established at the Parliamentary Assessment Board that every candidate has already had to pass. Interviewees who took part in the A-list interviewing process, in 2006, described very inconsistent styles of questioning. Without a lot more reassurance about the quality control of the two person interviewing process that each of today's candidates will face, a process of appeal would appear to be a respectful acknowledgement of what might have been years of voluntary service to the Conservative Party.
