ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog

Diary of a PPC: Priti Patel (Witham)

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 we are featuring Priti Patel, who is candidate for the newly-created constituency of Witham in Essex. Priti fought Nottingham North in 2005, but in Witham she will be defending a notional Conservative majority of 7,241 in a seat which draws on segments of four existing Conservative seats. You can read more about Priti and her campaign on her website.

Bank Holiday Monday 25th May

A funny day today in our household, as having been up most of the night with my "I don’t want to sleep" baby, I plan my week only having first organised baby and then husband for their week ahead; childcare, baby activities, provisions etc, followed by my day job bits, which even when on leave (for the elections) still must be maintained. Family and work sorted for the week, I then head into Witham to deliver election addresses and for the first time during the campaign I run into a Labour helper. We swap notes on how it’s been going and then the rain kicks in. All in all a typical British bank holiday!

Tuesday 26th May

I wake up early with no access to work email (which is a problem) and an issue to deal with (also a problem), but importantly we have blue skies so better weather for getting things done. I head straight out to campaign with my Chairman in his County Council patch. His patch is huge and we travel miles together covering remote rural farms to rural villages to new housing developments. We have at the same time met some really strong and remarkably upbeat supporters.

'Breath of fresh air' Priti Patel's right-wing views contrasted with 'slick' James Brokenshire

As ConservativeHome commentator 'C List and Proud' noted on Tuesday, Priti Patel's Witham victory owed a great deal to her traditionalist views on crime and Europe.  The following quotations appear in this morning's Mail on Sunday:

PP on crime: "If you had the ultimate punishment for the murder of policemen and other heinous crimes, I am sure it would act as a deterrent.  We must send a clear signal to people that crime doesn't pay. The punishment must fit the crime and yes, I do support capital punishment.  For far too long the law has been on the side of the criminal. Law and order is breaking down in Britain and we must do something about it."

PP on the euro: "I said I would never vote for the euro because I want to see a Britain that is governed by the British for the British."

PP on Project Cameron: "David Cameron is not doing enough to carry party members with him in terms of his style and approach. He has broadened the appeal of the party but he must do more to reassure members and we need to develop more policies."

A party official told The MoS that Priti Patel's main rival for Witham - James Brokenshire MP - was "slick" and "too clever by qualifying every statement".

12.30pm update: Just noticed this in the MoS leader column: "Ms Patel turns out to be the very thing the Tory leader wants to get rid of, a hardline Conservative who loathes the EU and wants to bring back the death penalty.  Good for her.  Like Archbishop John Sentamu and Bishop Michael Nazir Ali, she is free to be politically incorrect because nobody can call her a racist or a fascist."

Priti Patel selected for Witham

Shortlist here. More to follow.

Deputy Editor

8.30am update on 21 November: Priti won after what ConservativeHome sources described as a "barnstorming performance."  Priti beat James Brokenshire MP in the final round.  JB had tied with Geoffrey Van Orden MEP after the first round of voting.  Charlie Elphicke had been eliminated first.

Anne McIntosh adopted for Thirsk & Malton

Vale of York MP Anne McIntosh has emerged as the surprise victor over Ryedale MP John Greenway in the selection battle for the new seat of Thirsk and Malton.  Ryedale forms over half of the new seat and Mr Greenway had been expected to win the battle.  Ms McIntosh's own seat will be broken up into six parts.

Anne McIntosh had been unsuccessfully applying for other seats around Britain and now will inherit a seat with a projected majority of 14,687.  The former MEP may have been boosted in local members' minds by recently receiving a frontbench job - shadow minister for family welfare - from David Cameron.

Mr Greenway was apparently the victim of a strong faction within the Ryedale Association who had hoped to see him achieve shadow cabinet rank and by some anger that he not secure dual carriageway status for a major road in the constituency - quite a tall order for an opposition backbencher.

The other MP with an abolished seat - James Brokenshire - was also given promotion by David Cameron in the recent reshuffle.  He'll learn whether he'll be adopted for the plum Tory seat of Witham tomorrow when he faces Charles Elphicke, Priti Patel and Geoffrey Van Orden in an open primary election (in which the new CCHQ requirement of half-women shortlists is waived).

Final three four for Witham

11.15pm correction in red...

One of the 'safest' seats to emerge since the birth of the A-list is down to the final three four...

James Brokenshire MP (the early favourite), Priti Patel and Geoffrey Van Orden MEP are the finalists for Witham along with local Charles Elphicke (who it is rumoured led the voting at the Executive stage).

Noon on 17/11: Charles Elphicke has launched a website to boost his bid.

Witham shortlist

The new seat of Witham comprises elements of four former seats and is a notional safe seat with a Conservative majority of approx 7000. Most of the current shortlist, to be trimmed on Monday, is as follows:

James Brokenshire (MP for Hornchurch)
Geoffrey Van Orden (Eastern Region MEP)
Howard Flight (Former MP for Arundel and South Downs)
Julia Manning (Health professional, Bristol East PPC in 2005)
James Cleverly (Lewisham East PPC in 2005)
Priti Patel (Nottingham North PPC in 2005)
Iain Dale (Norfolk North PPC in 2005)
Dominic Schofield (Battersea PPC in 2005)
Ali Miraj (Aberavon PPC in 2001 and Watford PPC in 2005)
Sarah Candy (Businesswoman and Essex County council cabinet member)
Kit Malthouse (Former Deputy Leader of Westminster Council)
Giles Inglis-Jones (former soldier and PPC for Ashfield, now HR and Development Director at CCHQ) * Added 4/11/06
Simon Walker (media company executive and former member of the Downing Street Policy Unit) * Added 4/11/06

Charles Elphicke (CPS Research Fellow, St. Albans PPC in 2001) and local man Kevin Bentley (Colchester PPC 2005) are also in the running, but unlike the others I don't believe they are on the A list. Anne McIntosh (MP for Vale of York) and Tim Collins (former MP for Westmorland & Lonsdale) didn't make it.

Update 7/11/06: The list has narrowed to seven...

James Brokenshire
Charlie Elphicke
John Glen
Kit Malthouse
Julia Manning
Geoffrey van Orden
Priti Patel

8/11/06: East Anglian Daily Times story on the shortlist and Ali Miraj comments

Deputy Editor