By Jonathan Isaby
After the general election last year, I noted that of the original 100 members of the Priority List (A-List), 38 had been elected MPs - equivalent to 26% of the 147 new MPs elected in 2010.
So if these were the people who the party leadership was keenest to see on the green benches, are they similarly being fast-tracked with promotions now they are in the Commons?
The following A-Listers have already been given PPS or party appointments:
1 A-Lister was appointed a party vice-chairman last July
- Andrew Stephenson - Vice-Chairman (Youth)
2 A-Listers were appointed Parliamentary Private Secretaries last September
- Angie Bray - PPS to Francis Maude
- Conor Burns - PPS to Hugo Swire
5 A-Listers were appointed Parliamentary Private Secretaries last November
- Nick Boles - PPS to Nick Gibb
- George Freeman - PPS to Gregory Barker
- Esther McVey - PPS to Chris Grayling
- Mark Menzies - PPS to Charles Hendry
- Anna Soubry - PPS to Simon Burns
That accounts for 8 out of a total of 24 of the new intake who have already been given roles (22 PPSs and 2 vice-chairmen).
In other words, exactly one third of those have been promoted were A-Listers, whilst two thirds of those who have been promoted were not A-Listers.
So, proportionately:
- 8 of the 38 A-List new MPs have received preferment - 21%
- 16 of the 109 non-A-List new MPs have received preferment - 15%
All of which suggests that the A-Listers have thus far been marginally more likely to get a first post - which is not entirely surprising, given the leadership's eagerness to have them in Parliament in the first place.
Later in the week I will investigate whether the A-Listers have been more or less inclined than their colleagues to rebel against the Government.
