ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog

Jonathan Lord selected for Woking

Woking Conservatives last night held an Open Primary to select their new parliamentary candidate and the winner was Jonathan Lord.

A former director of Saatchi and Saatchi, Jonathan has a background in media, communications and marketing and is currently a Marketing Consultant helping small and medium size enterprises succeed in the current difficult economic climate. He is Chairman of Guildford Conservative Association and was elected to Surrey County Council in June. A former deputy leader of Westminster Council, he contested Oldham West and Royton in 1997 and is married with two children.

Humfrey Malins, who is retiring, bequeaths him a Conservative majority of 6,612.

For details of the unsuccessful candidates, see my previous thread on the selection.

Jonathan Isaby

Woking Conservatives announce four finalists to contest Open Caucus on September 30th

Woking Conservatives have short-listed four candidates to battle it out for the nomination in the seat being vacated by Humfrey Malins at the next election. They are:

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  Dr. Lynne Hack - Surrey born and lives in the county with her husband and family.  She is a long-standing Borough Councillor in Reigate and Banstead, where she is a former leader and a Surrey County Councillor, where she is currently Cabinet Member for the Environment. She has worked in hospitals as a cancer research scientist and lecturer for over twenty years, including ten years at the Royal Marsden.

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  Dr. Fiona Kemp - A GP with twenty years front-line experience of the NHS who has lived and worked in Surrey for many years.  She was a hospital doctor in the Breast Cancer Unit of the Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford and obtained a degree in Human Biology at the University of Surrey prior to entering General Practice. She contested Truro and St. Austell at the 2005 general election and is also a finalist in the forthcoming selection at Skipton and Ripon.

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  Jonathan Lord - A former director of Saatchi and Saatchi, he has a background in media, communications and marketing and is currently a Marketing Consultant helping small and medium size enterprises succeed in the current difficult economic climate. He is Chairman of Guildford Conservative Association and was elected to Surrey County Council in June. He is a former deputy leader of Westminster Council and contested Oldham West and Royton in 1997.

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  Stephen Phillips QC - Grew up on the Goldsworth Park Estate in Woking before reading Law at Oxford.  After a short stint in the Welsh Guards and attending Sandhurst, he was called to the Bar in 1993 and appointed a QC earlier this year. He is also Chairman of the Governors of the only sign-bilingual school in Britain.
  

The selection meeting is taking place at the HG Wells Centre in Woking at 7.20pm on September 30th and will be chaired by Dean Godson of Policy Exchange.

It is open to any registered voter in the Woking constituency. To apply for a ticket, you must contact Woking Conservatives in advance on 01483 773384 or via email, quoting the words "Open Primary" in the subject line of the email.

Jonathan Isaby

Woking Conservatives want to defy CCHQ and select a candidate now

Last week I reported that all selections for the current vacancies (bar Totnes) would not be taking place until September.

Yet now I learn that the Conservative Association in Woking - where Humfrey Malins announced his intention to retire in March, long before the current expenses furore - is set to refuse to go along with the request from CCHQ to delay their selection, a timetable for which was decided long go.

Party Chairman Eric Pickles is due to go to Woking tomorrow to meet the Executive in order to argue the case for the delay; but I learn that the association chairman has informed him that they want to carry on with the selection in July as was originally planned and that there is no point in him travelling to Surrey to meet them to discuss the matter any further.

I gather that an advertisement had already been approved by the candidates' department some time ago which the local association still wants to be sent to everyone on the candidates' list (and not just the A-List) this week, as originally planned.

Whilst party HQ is evidently keen to leave the selection until new applicants to the candidates' list have had the opportunity to attend a parliamentary assessment board, the Woking Conservatives fear that a delay is an unnecessary risk: the already selected Liberal Democrat candidate is a long-standing local councillor and there was only a small gap between the two parties at the most recent council elections, so they believe the new Conservative candidate should have the longest possible run-in to the next general election campaign.

I also gather that some local activists were annoyed at being told local candidates would not be considered under any circumstances if they hadn't already been through a parliamentary assessment board by April - only to now be asked to delay so that people with no record of involvement in the party whatsoever can put their names forward.

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

The five (and counting) vacant Conservative seats seeking a candidate

After three MPs made snap announcements over the last 48 hours that they are stepping down at the next election, that brings to five the running total of candidate vacancies in Tory held seats. I assume they will be seeking new candidates after next month's elections.

They cover a wide geographical spread and the details of each are as follows:

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

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

Constituency: Woking
County: Surrey
Retiring MP: Humfrey Malins
Notional Majority: 6,612 (14.4%)
Second place party: Lib Dem

Constituency: Gosport
County: Hampshire
Retiring MP: Sir Peter Viggers
Notional Majority: 5,730 (13.3%)
Second place party: Labour

Constituency: Totnes
County: Devon
Retiring MP: Anthony Steen
Notional Majority: 2,693 (5.8%)
Second place party: Lib Dem

I dare say that the county council and European election campaigns in these areas may be getting more mutual aid than usual...

Jonathan Isaby

Woking MP Humfrey Malins to step down

Mr Malins has written to David Cameron stating his intention to stand down at the next General Election:

"It has been a great privilege to represent firstly Croydon North West, and later Woking. In the Commons I have enjoyed every minute. I am absolutely thrilled at the progress that the Conservative Party has made under your leadership, and am sure that you will be prime minister come the general election."

His decision creates a plum vacancy in a seat with a projected Tory majority of 6,612.

Hat tip to Andrea.