Conservative A-List

The Conservative A-List or Priority List was a list of United Kingdom candidates drawn up by Conservative Central Office at the behest of David Cameron after his election as party leader in December 2005, aimed as a means of broadening the number of Conservative Members of Parliament, potential peers and MEPs from minority groups and women as well as other preferred candidates for candidature. Where the preferred forums for selection were held, at least two members from the list were put to every open primary, and where these were not held the A-list were recommended directly, particularly to the top target seats.

For other uses, see A-list (disambiguation).
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History

In April 2006, a Conservative Party committee on candidates set out to deliver a promise by David Cameron to transform the Conservative party at Westminster. The committee reduced 500 aspiring politicians on the party's list of approved parliamentary candidates to an "A-list" of between 100 and 150 priority candidates.[1] The result was a list on which more than half of the names were of women. The list included the former Coronation Street actor Adam Rickitt, Zac Goldsmith, the author Louise Bagshawe (later Mensch), and Margot James.[2]

Amid controversy, the "A-list" approach was endorsed by Michael Portillo, a Conservative MP until 2005, who in 2006 said that

[based on current membership]...much of the Parliamentary Party is reactionary and unattractive to voters.[3]

Conservative chairmen and activists in seats considered potentially winnable were in the run-up to the 2010 election urged by Conservative Central Office to select candidates from the new A-list and were in many cases included in open primaries, new and preferred open-to-all selection meetings.[4]

The 2010 general election saw failures as well as successes for the "A-listers" selected for 'winnable' seats.

Listed

Those on the A-list included the following: '*' marks people chosen for seats that were Conservative before 2010 [5][6][7]

Notes and references

Notes
  1. PPC Croydon North 2005
  2. PPC Stockton North 2005
  3. PPC Lancaster and Wyre 2001
  4. PPC Tooting 2005
  5. PPC Hove 2005
  6. PPC Manchester Withington 2005
  7. London Assembly Member
  8. PPC Warrington South 2005
  9. PPC Eastleigh 2005
  10. Former Camden LB opposition lead councillor. PPC Bristol West 2001
  11. PPC Northampton North 2005
  12. Westmoreland and Lonsdale MP 1997–2005
  13. PPC North Norfolk 2005
  14. PPC Portsmouth South 2005
  15. PPC Pendle 2005
  16. PPC Stevenage 2005
  17. PPC Brighton Pavilion 2001
  18. PPC Dudley North 2001; European candidate in 2004
  19. Special Adviser to Tim Yeo
  20. East Midlands MEP 1999–2009
  21. PPC Holborn and Pancras 2005
  22. PPC Broxtowe 2001
  23. PPC Knowsley South 2005
  24. PPC Blaenau Gwent 2005
  25. Leader of Brentwood Borough Council
  26. PPC Sedgefield 2005
  27. Bristol councillor
  28. former deputy Leader of Westminster Council
  29. PPC Twickenham 2005
  30. Vale of York MP 1997–2010
  31. PPC Wirral West 2005
  32. PPC Selby 2005
  33. PPC Nottingham North 2005
  34. PPC Nuneaton 2005
  35. PPC Normanton 2005
  36. PPC Makerfield 2005
  37. PPC Aberavon 2005
  38. PPC Liverpool Garston 2005
  39. PPC Gedling 2005
  40. Macclesfield councillor
  41. PPC Birmingham Ladywood 2005
  42. PPC Calder Valley 2005
  43. PPC Dewsbury 2005
  44. PPC Coventry South 2001 and 2005
  45. Leader of Trafford Council 2004–2009

References
  1. Will Woodward and Tania Branigan, The A-list: new leader's drive for women and minority candidates in The Guardian, 19 April 2006
  2. Will Woodward, chief political correspondent, "Former soap star on Cameron's A-list of Tory candidates" in The Guardian, 11 May 2006
  3. Michael Portillo, Cameron's A-list could give Tories the X factor in The Sunday Times dated 30 July 2006, online
  4. A-list 'not snubbing' NE England dated 20 October 2006 at bbc.co.uk
  5. Rosemary Bennett, "The A-list" in The Times dated 12 June 2006, at timesonline.co.uk
  6. Who is on the A-list? at conservativehome web site
  7. Conservative A-List and selections Archived 28 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine dated 4 June 2006 at colin-ross.org.uk
  8. Robin Brant, A year on, has the A-list worked? at BBC.co.uk dated December 2006
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