ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog

In the last of our series detailing what happened to the original 100 members of the party's so-called priority list of candidates, below we list the 26 who are still seeking a parliamentary seat for the next election.

(On Monday we listed the 27 who are no longer seeking a Westminster seat, on Tueday we listed the 18 who have been selected to stand in Conservative held seats and yesterday we detailed the 27 who will be standing in target seats.)

Carolyn Abbott Candidate in Sheffield Heeley in 2001 and Barnsley East & Mexborough in 2005 (as well as the 2004 European Elections), Carolyn had a baby earlier in the Parliament when most of the seats were selecting candidates. She is now chairman of the North Derbyshire Conservatives (covering the Bolsover, Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire constituencies) and is keen to stand in a seat in Yorkshire or the East Midlands.

Tariq Ahmad He contested Croydon North in 2005 and was made party vice-chairman responsible for cities in 2008. A Merton councillor since 2002, he is currently the Cabinet Member responsible for Community Safety and Engagement.

Amar Ahmed A GP who is a partner in a health centre in Cheshire which is pioneering practice-based commissioning, Amar has also advised the party on health policy. He was the party's candidate in Manchester Blackley in 2005 and would like to stand in a seat in the North West at the next election.

Clive Allen Candidate in Devon North in 2001 and Somerton & Frome in 2005, he is working in the City and is a member of the party's Patrons' Board.

In the third of our series detailing what happened to the original 100 members of the party's so-called priority list of candidates, here are the 27 - of whom 13 are men and 14 are women - who have been selected for seats which are Conservative targets. All swing calculations are based on the notional results of the 2005 election as if fought on the new boundaries (as calculated by Professors Rallings and Thrasher of the University of Plymouth).

(On Monday we listed the 27 who are no longer seeking a Westminster seat and yesterday we listed the 18 who have been selected to stand in Conservative held seats.)

Louise Bagshawe The best-selling author - not to mention regular contributor to the CentreRight blog - was selected in October 2006 for Corby in Northamptonshire. She needs a swing of 1.6% to unseat Labour's Phil Hope, who has a majority of 1,517.

Gavin Barwell Croydon councillor and political consultant Gavin was selected in Feburary 2008 for Croydon Central, in the wake of sitting MP Andrew Pelling's decision to stand down. After boundary changes, Labour start with a notional majority of 328, meaning that Gavin requires a swing of 0.4% to take the seat.

Angie Bray A member of the London Assembly until last year's election, Angie was selected in October 2006 for the newly-drawn Ealing Central & Acton constituency. Labour start with a notional majority of 839, meaning that Angie requires a swing of 1.1% to take the seat.

Steve Brine Formerly the party's area campaign director for Hampshire, Steve was selected in November 2006 for Winchester, where he has served a deputy chairman (political) of the local Conservative association. Sitting Lib Dem MP Mark Oaten is standing down, and Steve needs a swing of 6.4% to gain the redrawn seat.

David Bull The TV doctor was selected in December 2006 to fight Brighton Pavilion, where sitting Labour MP David Lepper is standing down. After relatively minor boundary changes, David needs a swing of 6.6% to gain the seat.

Mark Coote The former teacher and two-time candidate for Hastings & Rye was selected in November 2006 for Cheltenham, the town in which he grew up. Boundary changes mean that the sitting Lib Dem MP, Martin Horwood, would be ousted on a swing of 0.3%.

In the second of our series detailing what happened to the original 100 members of the party's so-called priority list of candidates, here are the 18 of them - 9 men, 9 women - who have been selected for seats which are notionally Conservative (yesterday we detailed the 27 who are no longer seeking a Westminster seat).

Some of the 18 expect to replace MPs who are standing down, whilst others are standing in newly-drawn seats created by the Boundary Commission. There are also a few who are fighting constituencies which are nominally held by another party on the existing boundaries, but which would have returned a Conservative in 2005 based on the new boundaries (as calculated by Professors Rallings and Thrasher of the University of Plymouth).

Harriett Baldwin Previously candidate for Stockton North in 2005, in one of the earliest selections after the inception of the priority list, Harriett was chosen in July 2006 to contest West Worcestershire, where Sir Michael Spicer is standing down. She will defend a notional majority of 3,053. She gave up her full time job managing pension fund investments almost immediately, and after two years decided to leave paid employment and work for herself on a part-time basis.

Steve Barclay A two-time parliamentary candidate (Manchester Blackley in 1997 and Lancaster & Wyre in 2001), Steve was selected in January 2008 to stand in North East Cambridgeshire, where Malcolm Moss is standing down. He will defend a notional majority of 7,726. He currently works for Barclays UK Retail Bank as Head of Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions.

Nicholas Boles Variously a Westminster councillor, Director of Policy Exchange and candidate for Hove in 2005, Nicholas was selected in October 2007 for Grantham & Stamford, the seat currently represented by Quentin Davies, who defected to the Labour Party and has since been made a minister. He will defend a notional majority of 7,308. He served as interim chief of staff to Boris Johnson at City Hall and is currently working with Francis Maude in the party's Implementation Unit, considering how a future Conservative Government will put its manifesto into action.

In the first of our series detailing what happened to the original 100 members of the party's so-called priority list of candidates, here we identify the 27 who are not now seeking a parliamentary seat for the next election.

• Four are either sitting MEPs seeking re-election or candidates hoping to be elected to the European Parliament in June;
• Three have have been appointed to Boris Johnson's administration in London;
• Two have defected to other parties (one each to Labour and the Lib Dems);
• One has been ennobled; and
• The other 17 have a variety of reasons for not pursuing a parliamentary career.
  

Martin Callanan MEP He stood in Gateshead East in 1992 and Tynemouth in 1997, but has been an MEP for the North East of England since 1999 and is seeking re-election there in June.

Pam Chesters A councillor in Camden throughout the 1990s, she stood in Bristol West in 2001. Pam initially applied for seats and had several interviews before deciding not to pursue the search for a parliamentary seat any further. She has been Chairman of the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust since 2001 and has recently been appointed Boris Johnson's adviser on Health and Youth Opportunities.

Tim Collins A former press secretary to John Major and member of the Downing Street Policy Unit, he was elected MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale in 1997 and held a number of frontbench posts, including  a series of roles in the shadow cabinet under three party leaders. However, Tim became the only high profile MP to fall victim to the Lib Dems' so-called "decapitation strategy" at the 2005 general election. He applied for and was interviewed in several seats in 2006 and early 2007, but then stopped applying for seats and left the candidates' list in April 2008. He told ConservativeHome: "I firmly now do not wish to return to the Commons - my life has moved on and is much better for it."

Peter Cox Candidate for Exeter in 2005, Peter is chairman of his local ward Conservatives but has put his political aspirations on hold "for the time being" as he concentrates on his legal career as a partner in a firm of solicitors.