Following the decision of Sir Michael Lord to step down at the general election, the Conservatives in Suffolk Central and Ipswich North are currently in the process of seeking a new candidate.
The final six names in the frame are:
Katy Bourne
Tim Clark
Joanna Gardner
Daniel Poulter
Dominic Schofield
Claire Strong
An open primary is scheduled to take place on November 27th to choose the candidate, who will inherit a notional Conservative majority of 7,786.
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’s diary is written by Chris Philp,
who was selected in December 2006
for Hampstead and Kilburn, a newly-drawn seat where he is challenging sitting Labour MP, Glenda Jackson. The Hampstead section of the seat comes from the existing Hampstead & Highgate constituency, with Kilburn being taken from the existing Brent East seat. Chris is a successful entrepreneur who has set up three businesses from scratch. He set up the first company at the age of 23, grew it to £100 million in turnover and floated it on the stock market within four years. He is a Camden councillor, a former chairman of the Bow Group and also has a First in Physics from Oxford.
Monday: Kilburn Dragons’s Den – the Final The Kilburn Dragon’s Den is a scheme I have set up to nurture and encourage the next generation of entrepreneurs. I started by recruiting a small team of mentors from business backgrounds. Over a period of several weeks, we worked with 16-18 year olds from Kilburn and Harlesden, who come from some of London’s tougher backgrounds, to develop business ideas and business plans with their mentors. The business has to be capable of being started with no more than £1,000.
The teams then pitched their ideas at the final, held at the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn. I also bought in some actors and actresses to help the teams hone their presentation skills. The panel of Dragons, which I chaired, selected the winning team (pictured). The winning team got £1,000 and they are now starting work to set up their small business, with guidance from me and from their mentor.
The Dragon’s Den programme is designed to encourage and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. It’s also designed to give them the self-confidence and the skills to build tomorrow’s businesses. I was really impressed by the ideas, energy and creativity that the teams showed. The Kilburn Dragon’s Den showed that with the right encouragement, the next generation is capable of achieving great things.
Below is a short YouTube video all about the scheme.
On Friday night Jon Burns was selected as candidate for the South East Wales constituency of Torfaen at the general election.
Jon has been a Cardiff councillor since 2004 and was the candidate for the Welsh Assembly by-election for the Blaenau Gwent constituency in 2006 after the death of Peter Law, and then a list candidate for South Wales Central at the 2007 Assembly election. He has also served as election agent for the Cardiff North seat in 2007.
He was born in Manchester in 1981 and moved to Sussex at the age of nine. He has worked variously for the Daily Telegraph, HM Inspectorate of Prisons in the Home Office and a public affairs consultancy before moving to Cardiff in 2003, since when he has worked in Conservative politics, including stints working for the party's Health spokesman in the Assembly and for former MEP, Jonathan Evans.
Paul Murphy has been Labour MP for Torfaen since 1987 and holds the seat with a majority of 14,791 over the Conservatives.
Melanchthon wrote earlier in the day why he felt Liz Truss should not be deselected in South West Norfolk and Tim has given her ConservativeHome's full support here and here in the last few days.
Today it was my turn, on the BBC East edition of The Politics Show. After a report on the going-ons in South West Norfolk, I was interviewed via video link, whilst new Norwich North Conservative MP Chloe Smith gave her reaction in the studio.
Chloe grew up in the constituency and was treading very carefully. She said that as far as she was concerned it was a matter for the local party to decide whether Liz should remain in situ as the candidate and that she didn't feel it her place to voice an opinion.
I spoke staunchly in favour of Liz remaining the candidate and very much regret the course of action being pursued by the South West Norfolk Conservatives. She won a five-cornered ballot last weekend fairly and squarely - on the first round with more than 50% of the vote - and nothing has changed since then in relation to her (excellent) abilities as a candidate.
Watch the clip here via the BBC iPlayer (38 minutes and 10 second in - although it will only be available to view for seven days).
Claire Perry from George Osborne's office fought off Victoria Atkins, Paul Hearn, Jeremy Quin, Nadhim Zahawi and Zehra Zaidi to inherit Michael Ancram's projected majority of 10,982. Nadhim Zahawi came second.
The 45-year-old mother of three develops policy for the Shadow Chancellor, focusing on jobs and value for money for the taxpayer.
She was educated at Nailsea comprehensive school and went on to read Geography at Oxford, before taking an MBA at Harvard. Before working for George Osborne, she worked at Credit Suisse First Boston, McKinsey and Bank of America.
She has been a Conservative Party member since 2006 and is chairman of her local party branch within the Salisbury constituency, living as she does just outside the Devizes constituency.
Monday update - Claire has released the following statement:
"I am thrilled and honoured to have been selected as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Devizes. I am not a typical political candidate and this was the first seat I had applied for. I hope that as a business person and mother I can bring a breath of fresh air to traditional politics.
"I am determined to fight tirelessly for the issues that matter to us in the Constituency including helping our local economy to survive this recession, making sure we have the right transport links and broadband connections in Wiltshire and getting the services we need in Savernake and Devizes hospitals. I also want to see Britain return to economic health and tax payers’ money spent wisely at all levels of government.
"It is a privilege to follow in the footsteps of Michael Ancram who was such a distinguished politician at both the local and national level and I am looking forward to living and working with everyone in this wonderful Constituency."
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