ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog

David Rutley adopted to succeed Sir Nicholas Winterton in Macclesfield

Fiona Bruce was the second-placed candidate.

David Rutley is a former Director at Asda and former adviser to William Waldegrave. He stood for St Albans in 1997.

11.15am on Sunday: Macclesfield Express report on Mr Rutley's victory includes winsome photograph with Sir NIcholas Winterton.

Monday update: Below is a 3-minute video of David Rutley accepting the nomination and being inerviewed after the meeting, along with Sir Nicholas Winterton:

Three plum seats choose their Tory candidate this weekend

Two seats choose today:

• Bracknell: Iain Dale, Margaret Doyle, Philip Lee, Katy Lindsay, Julia Manning, Ryan Robson,  Rory Stewart
• Macclesfield: Victoria Atkins, Fiona Bruce, Nicholas Gleave, Sheila Lawlor, David Rutley, David Senior. Macclesfield Conservatives will be announcing their candidate on this website shortly after 5pm.

And one tomorrow:

• Sleaford and North Hykeham: Kwasi Kwarteng, Katy Lindsay, Kay Mason, Lucille Nicholson, Stephen Phillips, Bob Stewart.

Two senior Macclesfield Tories quit over candidate selection process

This Saturday sees an open primary in Macclesfield to select a Conservative candidate to succeed Sir Nicholas Winterton, who has represented the seat in Parliament since 1971.

The six finalists are listed here, but in advance of Saturday's meeting, the Macclesfield Express reports today that two leading members of the local association walked out of an executive meeting on Monday in protest at the way the selection has been handled.

Andy Lea, association treasurer and one of the six members of the committee which was charged with drawing up the shortlist at a meeting at CCHQ in London, told the paper that he had resigned, citing "excessive pressure from central office and unfair and irregular practices to exclude local people from the process". He said:

"The deputy chairman also resigned last night as he felt unable to continue given the circumstances, and I don’t blame him. I am hugely disappointed by the way central office has behaved, with little regard for the local membership or the people of Macclesfield. Sir Nicholas has spoken in the past about Cameron’s mafia, and I have now seen it myself first hand. I can understand why ordinary people feel disenfranchised from the political process and don’t trust politicians. Having been part of a process that I know was fundamentally wrong and unfair I feel I have no choice but to speak out."

He suggested that local candidates were put at a disadvantage and that the association should have stood up to what he described as "the bullies in London".

Cllr Darryl Beckford - who had hoped to be in the running for the nomination himself - is the deputy chairman who resigned alongside Mr Lea, saying that he felt "disappointed with the way things have gone".

Whilst I do not know the ins and outs of the specific situation in Macclesfield ConservativeHome has previously cited here our concerns that the selection procedure as now constituted has taken too much power and choice away from members.

Jonathan Isaby

The final six names emerge for Macclesfield

Macclesfield Conservatives are currently in the process of selecting a new candidate to take the place of Sir Nicholas Winterton, who has been MP for the seat since 1971.

The final six names - all of whom I gather are going to be put through to the open primary on October 17th - are:

• Victoria Atkins
• Fiona Bruce
• Nicholas Gleave
• Sheila Lawlor
• David Rutley
• David Senior

The eventual winner will be bequeathed a notional majority of 9,464 after very minor boundary changes.

Jonathan Isaby 

There are now ten Conservative-held seats seeking a new candidate

A week ago, I published a list of the five Conservative held seats seeking a new candidate for the next general election.

But a week, as the old saying goes, is a long time in politics and the figure five has doubled into ten vacant Conservative seats after the announcement of five further retirements over the last few days.

So here is an update of all the Conservative held seats which will require a new candidate, taking into account the newly announced vacancies and starting with the safest...

Constituency: Sleaford and North Hykeham
County: Lincolnshire
Region: East Midlands
Retiring MP: Douglas Hogg
Notional Majority: 12,687 (24.2%)
Second place party: Labour

Constituency: Skipton and Ripon
County: North Yorkshire
Region: Yorkshire and the Humber
Retiring MP: David Curry
Notional Majority: 11,596 (23.4%)
Second place party: Lib Dem

Constituency: Bracknell
County: Berkshire
Region: South East
Retiring MP: Andrew Mackay
Notional Majority: 10,037 (22.0%)
Second place party: Labour

So here is an update of all the Conservative held seats which will require a new candidate, taking into account the newly announced vacancies and starting with the safest...

Constituency: Sleaford and North Hykeham
County: Lincolnshire
Region: East Midlands
Retiring MP: Douglas Hogg
Notional Majority: 12,687 (24.2%)
Second place party: Labour

Constituency: Skipton and Ripon
County: North Yorkshire
Region: Yorkshire and the Humber
Retiring MP: David Curry
Notional Majority: 11,596 (23.4%)
Second place party: Lib Dem

Constituency: Bracknell
County: Berkshire
Region: South East
Retiring MP: Andrew Mackay
Notional Majority: 10,037 (22.0%)
Second place party: Labour

MPs Nicholas and Ann Winteron to stand down at next election

Breaking news. More soon.  Between them they represent two of the safest seats in the country.  Six Conservative MPs have now announced their retirement since expenses-gate broke although this may be unrelated.

4.30pm OFFICIAL STATEMENT

Sir Nicholas and Lady Winterton have today announced that they are to stand down as MPs for Macclesfield and Congleton at the General Election.

In a letter to David Cameron, Sir Nicholas said:

"Parliament and my constituency have been my life for almost 38 years (and politics in general for almost 50 years) and in Ann's case for more than 26 years, but when you feel as we do that maybe the years are taking their toll and perhaps we can no longer represent Macclesfield and Congleton with the some level of energy and enthusiasm as in the past, we have reached the conclusion that we should pass the baton to a younger person because both Congleton and Macclesfield deserve the very best."

Full text below.

David Cameron said:

"I completely understand your decision to stand down and appreciate that these must not have been easy decisions to make. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the service, energy and commitment both of you have demonstrated to Parliament and to your respective constituencies. Never before has a husband and wife team served the House of Commons for a total of 65 years and this is something you can both be very proud of."

FULL LETTER FROM SIR NICHOLAS TO DAVID CAMERON

"22nd May 2009

Dear David,

Ann and I have been giving considerable thought in recent months to our future plans. While I remain tremendously involved both in the House of Commons and in my Macclesfield Constituency (and Ann is also much involved too) I am aware that we cannot maintain the hectic pace at which we have lived for nearly four decades and we would like a steadier lifestyle which would enable us to see more of our family, including eight grandchildren, not least at weekends.

Also with all the changes taking place in Parliament and in local government we feel that it is an appropriate time to announce that we do not intend to stand as candidates at the next general election and we will be notifying our Association Chairmen accordingly. However, I would ask that you do not make any public announcement about our decision until we have done this.

Parliament and my constituency have been my life for almost 38 years (and politics in general for almost 50 years) and in Ann's case for more than 26 years, but when you feel as we do that maybe the years are taking their toll and perhaps we can no longer represent Macclesfield and Congleton with the some level of energy and enthusiasm as in the past, we have reached the conclusion that we should pass the baton to a younger person because both Congleton and Macclesfield deserve the very best.

I hope that during the remainder of this Parliament I can help others in returning to the House of Commons itself some authority, independence and integrity over the executive of the day because the House is currently virtually impotent. Our support for the Conservative and Unionist Party is total and we will continue to do all we can to ensure a great victory at the next General Election whenever it comes.

We wish you every success.
Yours ever
Nicholas."

5pm LINKS

The Daily Mail isn't in any doubt why the Wintertons have gone:

The Guardian: "The husband-and-wife Tory backbenchers were last year found to have breached House of Commons rules after claiming £80,000 in parliamentary allowances for a flat owned by a trust their children control. Details of other expenses were also revealed recently by the Daily Telegraph, including a £67 towel rail, an £18 "toilet brush holder" and a £16.99 "loo handle". But party sources said it was unknown whether the expenses furore had played a part in their decision to retire."

The Times: "Mr Cameron described the arrangement as “indefensible”. The claims were stopped in September, after the Commons Standards and Privileges Committee found that they had been in breach of the rules since July 2006. Shortly after the Commissioner’s report last year, Sir Nicholas told his local paper that Mr Cameron’s “mafia” wanted to force him and his wife out, but insisted he was determined to fight the upcoming election for the Tories. With respective majorities of 11,401 and 8,246 in the 2005 general election, Macclesfield and Congleton are solid Conservative safe seats which will fiercly contested."