CONFIRMED: Primary process delayed

Francis Maude has issued the following statement:

“Eight weeks ago we set out plans to give every Londoner the chance to become the Conservative Party’s candidate for Mayor of London, and to give all Londoners the chance to play a part in the selection process.

“Since then we have received a number of excellent applications.  This has been extremely encouraging.  We have also received expressions of interest from a number of very serious potential candidates for whom the timescale we originally set is too restrictive.

“Given that the mayoral elections are still nearly two years away, we are therefore extending the deadline to give these and others the chance to come forward.

“We want as wide a range of people as possible to take part in this exciting and innovative process with a view to selecting a candidate next spring.”

3pm: PRESS TOLD BEFORE THE CANDIDATES WHO HAD APPLIED.

Comments

[Stephen Newton]

I think you're being a little choosey. Nick Ferrari had given his dog permission to stand.
http://news.independent.co.uk/people/pandora/article1212758.ece

[Simon Chapman]

This gives the current 6 contenders a chance to build their profile over the next few months. Let's hope that some of them generate some early momentum and interest.

At the same time, it's now imperative that by "next spring" some of these very serious potential candidates have stepped up to the plate.

[ChaunceyGardener]

Nails in Maude's political coffin:

The A list,
Bromley & Chislehurst by-election,
Associations ignore CCHQ/A-list in PPC selections,
The A list top-up

and now

London Mayor candidate selection process delayed because no 'big-hitter' candidates have come forward.

Cameron's whole change agenda and the Tory party's credibility is being damaged CCHQ's record of cock-ups, mistakes and general incompetence.

Key questions as I see it are how much longer will Maude survive in post? Will he be reshuffled by Christmas? Is all this just cock-up or is there a conspiracy to scupper Cameron's proposals? If not Maude who can deliver Cameron's change agenda?

[Cynic]

Pathetic. You can measure a man's contempt for others by the lies he'll tell them. If we had had 6 excellent candidates, this process would be proceeding as planned. We did not, so we are not. Moreover, not one of the 6 applicants from this round of duds can possibly be our actual candidate 6 months hence. Why? Because Labour and Ken will rightly say, 'none of you were good enough to be selected 6 months ago: what has changed?' Utterly hopeless, utterly Maude.

[Ted]

Having just posted about being positive rather than negative I must say (as a DC supporter) that the sign off and final decision is with one man, and it isn't Francis Maude. Who put forward & decided on A list? Who agreed the Mayoralty timescales?

[changetowin]

People on this blog would have blamed Francis Maude whatever happened. If he had gone ahead, he would have been blamed for the absence of some loony right radio presenter or tv host. And, as we've seen, it's been delayed and again Maude is criticised.

Maude is, in the words of JFK, the man "in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause". The carpers on this site "know neither victory nor defeat". They don't act, they don't do, they just sit behind their screens and moan about those in the arena. Changing an organisation is never easy. Carping and complaining is.

[changetowin]

And, by the way, I think that the Conservatives probably should have gone ahead with the announced candidates today. I think the candidates who have declared are admirable. It has been delayed because of pressure from people, many on this site, who wanted a celebrity candidate. I seem to remember people on this site complaining about celebrities on our A-List! It's a huge luxury to carp in the shadows. It's much harder to do. And on balance the leadership we have is doing a lot better than Hague, IDS and Howard. Don't ask me, ask the British public. MORI/YouGov etc do this quite often!

[ChaunceyGardener]

On June 12 tyhe line from CCHQ was

"anyone may put themselves forward to be the candidate"

Today the reality is a bit clearer. Only a handful of people could really put themselves forward. If you were not what CCHQ considered a 'big hitter' already you might as well not bother submitting your application . The problem was no big-hitters wanted to apply to be the Tory candidate and so the fallacy that "anyone may put themselves forward" was exposed.

When this process started I really thought the Tories had two or three big hitters ready to go for it. Instead its been a CCHQ orchestrated PR shambles.

[Mark Francis]

change2win,

interesting isn't it that when the leadership decides to move the deadline forward because the declared candidates aren't good enough that you blame people on this site rather than David Cameron, who actually made the (correct) decision.

[Matt Wales]

"changetowin" sounds a bit like the whining of one of the candidates... bizarrely attacking David Cameron's conviction that we need a better range of candidates.

I wonder if "by September" you will know whether you have enough support.... while the party waits for other candidates to get in the race.

[Croydonian]

I've blogged on this and am disgusted by the way the announced candidates have been treated, as are ALL the folk who have commented on my post.

[Phil Taylor]

I am disappointed by the delay and the way it was announced at the last minute. Apparently journalists heard about it before the candidates. The annoucement on the Conservative's website seems to be incomplete as it does not mention the length of the delay and is not featured very prominently. Good communications is as much about handling bad news as it is about getting out good news and pursuing your own agenda. CCHQ needs to make sure that ordinary London Tories are as much “in the loop” as the press. The website is a tool that the allows the party to create a level information playing field. It is ordinary Tories that will elect a candidate not the Westminster village people at CCHQ and in the lobby.

[lucy74]

I agree with changetowin. I imagine that whatever Francis Maude does, he will be criticised by regulars on this site, who will never forgive him for being a moderniser.

It is interesting that in most spheres, being a moderniser is held to be a good thing, whilst on this site it is tantamount to a swear word!

[legal eagle]

I don't think we should be too harsh on the party over the delay. They are trying something different to target disaffection and apathy among voters. It is all very well for people to have a pop from the sidelines but have they got any better ideas?

You can see that they were trying to do: get some candidates on the list that people would already have an idea of (as well as some unknowns), so as to capture the public interest. Maybe the deadline should have been longer to start with but this hasn't been done before so mistakes are inevitable.

I see Hazel Blears (the most annoying person in the world) has also said this delay is a 'failure'. The trouble is that people not engaging with politics affects them as much as us.

[Praguetory]

I thought the British/the Conservative party were once famous for their sense of fairplay. This is an absolute disgrace - I doubt Major would approve. If the deadline passed for some potential candidates to throw their hat in the ring that is their fault.

How can Cameron criticise Labour for going ahead with regional democracy when it was voted against when he is disrespecting the democratic process in his own party?

[Vernon Simcox]

The Mayoral race--race--what race? is starting to look a bit like Swan Lake with the dancers wearing deep sea diving boots.

[Atiq Malik]

I do not know why Syed Kamall (MEP) is not approached. He can beat Red Ken. We need someone who can bring in new votes for the party. I am confident Party supporters will vote for him and he will also get Muslim votes.

I am so disturbed that inspite of all claims of DC Popularity we are still looking for a heavy weight to defeat Red Ken.

[Vernon Simcox]

Am returning to SA shortly but I do hope that when I return in two or three years time I can see the Party my father supported for so many years in better condition and thus avoiding the venting of spleen on this page and indeed my long suffering hosts.
Good luck to all candidates be they A,B or C list.

[Helen Thompson]

"I am so disturbed that inspite (sic.) of all claims of DC('s?) (p)opularity we are still looking for a heavyweight to defeat Red Ken."

Remember Bromley? Remember the other byelections since DC became leader? A few extra points in the polls is not enough for some lightweight to sail on those coat tails past the most enduring political figure in the UK.

"Red Ken" is not how most London voters see him either.

Sadly, a great many posts on this site continue to show why the party needs to change.

[Tom Greeves]

changetowin:

I think that quotation is actually from Theodore Roosevelt, not JFK.