ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog

Damian Hinds selected to succeed Michael Mates

ConservativeHome extends its warm congratulations to Damian Hinds who has been adopted as the Conservative candidate for Hampshire East to replace the retiring Michael Mates.  Damian Hinds beat Pam Chesters, Antonia Cox and Sam Gyimah (second-placed and just five votes behind) for the seat and its projected majority of 7,195.

3.30pm update on 19/2: Petersfield Post report on Damian's selection.

Final four for Hampshire East

The last four for East Hampshire are:

• Pam Chesters
• Antonia Cox
• Sam Gyimah
• Damian Hinds

Last night's selection was not without controversy.  Retiring MP Michael Mates attended and expressed his disappointment that the Chairman of the Association (who had stepped aside to allow an acting Chariman to preside over the selection) had not been invited for interview.  There has been talk of legal challenge to the selection process as a result but that now seems unlikely.

ConservativeHome has been in touch with about ten individuals involved in the selection process as candidates or local members and the consistent message has been that the process has sometimes been ugly with questioning going well beyond what might be thought of as hard but fair scrutiny.

Five women and three men on final shortlist for Hampshire East

Final eight for Hampshire East:

1. Pam Chesters
2. Antonia Cox
3. John Glen
4. Sam Gyimah
5. Rebecca Harris
6. Damian Hinds
7. Katie Lindsay
8. Liz Truss.

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Telegraph names 19 of the 23 runners for Hampshire East

Jonathan Isaby has 19 of the suspected 23 candidates accepted by the plum seat of Hampshire East for the race to succeed Michael Mates:

1. "Tariq Ahmad - Contested Croydon North in 2005 and a Merton councillor
2. James Bethell - Contested Tooting in 2005
3. Conor Burns - Contested Eastleigh in 2001 and 2005
4. Pam Chesters - Contested Bristol West in 2001 and a former leader of Camden Tories
5. Antonia Cox - An investment banker turned journalist
6. Iain Dale - Contested Norfolk North in 2005 and ex-chief of staff to David Davis
7. Flick Drummond - Contested Southampton Itchen in 2005
8. Howard Flight - Former Arundel MP sacked by Michael Howard before the 2005 election
9. Vicky Ford - Contested Birmingham Northfield in 2005 and South Cambridgeshire councillor
10. Ian Gibb - Contested Warwickshire North in 2005 and an Ealing councillor
11. John Glen - Contested Plymouth Devonport in 2001 and ex-director of the Conservative Research Department
12. Zac Goldsmith - Editor of The Ecologist magazine and co-chairman of the Tory Quality of Life working group
13. Sam Gyimah - Chairman of the Bow Group
14. Lynne Hack - Councillor in Reigate and Banstead
15. Damian Hinds - Contested Stretford and Urmston in 2005 and former chairman of the Bow Group
16. Kwasi Kwarteng - Contested Brent East in 2005 and former chairman of the Bow Group
17. Melanie Mclean - Contested Islington South and Finsbury in 2005
18. Mark Menzies - Contested Selby in 2005 and Glasgow Govan in 2001
19. Elizabeth Truss - Contested Calder Valley in 2005, Hemsworth in 2001 and a Greenwich councillor."

Michael Mates to step down

Another plum seat will soon be looking for a new Conservative MP following tonight's announcement from Michael Mates MP that he won't contest his East Hampshire seat again - a seat  with a projected majority of 7,195.

The former Northern Ireland Minister will be best remembered for his early opposition to the poll tax, for helping Michael Heseltine to end Margaret Thatcher's premiership and for his relationship with Asil Nadir.

This is the second major retirement announcement in one week.  Angela Browning announced her decision to stand down last Friday.