ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog

Diary of a PPC: Birmingham Northfield's Keely Huxtable reports on a week in the life of a twenty-something PPC with a one-year-old baby

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 Keely Huxtable, candidate for Birmingham Northfield. It is currently held for Labour by Richard Burden, who will be defending a notional majority of 7,879, meaning that Keely requires a swing of 9.96% to gain the seat. She introduces us to the constituency and herself thus:

"Northfield is a fairly densely populated constituency in the South West of Birmingham, made of four wards: Northfield, Longbridge, Weoley and Kings Norton, which has just been added in the recent boundary changes. It is largely white working or middle class with some areas within the top 5% of the Government's indices of deprivation, but also some very wealthy area, all within a few miles of each other. It is famously the old home of MG Rover and the constituency is still suffering from the fallout of the collapse with areas of high unemployment. I am lucky enough to have a full set of hardworking Conservative Councillors in the constituency, with all 12 out of 12 - the last two seats being gained in 2008.

"I was selected to fight Northfield in May 2007, aged 25. I followed the debate about younger PPCs with interest, being number 9 on ConservativeHome’s list of the 10 youngest PPCs, and hope to address some concerns and points that were made concerning younger PPCs, especially with regards to life experience. I have spent the vast majority of my life in South West Birmingham; it is very much my home. I have always been very proud of being a true Brummie, even my distinguishable accent which I vow never to lose. I am not from a political family by any means but my parents taught me the importance of voting from a young age and this combined with playing a very active role in my local community from a similar age led me to wanted to play a more active role in society. I married my wonderful and eternally patient husband Tim, who is a Councillor in neighbouring Bournville Ward, in 2007. I left college at 18 with four A-Levels and went straight to work, being lucky enough for my employer to sponsor me to do an Open University degree of which I am very proud. I graduated in May last year, three weeks before my daughter Katie was born. She is the light of my life and gives a deeper purpose to every leaflet I push through a door and a new conviction when speaking to people. I don’t want her to grow up in this world as it is now, fighting for change became so much more personal as soon as she was born. I took voluntary redundancy in April of the year to enable me to look after Katie and run my campaign full time."

Here's Keely's Diary of the Week...

Keely Rogers selected for Birmingham Northfield

Overcoming opposition from three other Midlands Tories, Keely Rogers has been adopted today for the Labour held seat of Birmingham Northfield.  Keely, 25, describes herself as a community activist on the right of the party with a passionate belief in the social justice agenda.  She faces a projected Labour majority of 8,179.