John Moss is a Campaign Manager at College Green Group. In the last Parliament, he helped over 150 clients as they sought approval, selection and election as Conservative candidates. He is a past parliamentary candidate, GLA candidate and currently a Councillor and Association Chair in Chingford & Woodford Green.
In the last of three posts about candidate approval and selection, John makes suggestions on how to make sure we have our candidates selected in good time for the next General Election.
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There are probably 200-250 constituencies which have no chance of returning a Conservative MP. They have had the worst of all worlds in the last three elections.
They were not seen as a priority for selections, with many not allowed to even advertise for candidates. Then when the election was called, candidates were imposed on them, often with no local connection at all. Those candidates were then told not to campaign in that seat, but to support nearby – or not so nearby – target seats.
As an alternative, those who secure a ‘Development’ pass in the last parliament could be invited to apply for these seats as early as possible. Let them campaign there and work to build up the local association through a couple of local election cycles. Hopefully, they will be able to deliver something of value for the association and develop a team who will then be much more motivated to turn up, with them, to help in target seats when the next general election happens.
We understand the time commitment and cost of campaigning in a seat away from home or work can be prohibitive. Whilst we have moved on from the necessity of fighting a ‘no hope’ seat before getting a good seat, it would be helpful if those that did still want or need to follow that route to bear in mind these costs. These seats represent an opportunity for local candidates to build their experience and potentially help these seats become more competitive, because they have someone to lead and build over a longer period.
Selecting these seats in the year after the 2025 Conference would give that time and also remove the need to deal with these seat selections in a few days at the end of a Parliament.
There is no clear model for what a great MP is, and the process needs to recognise that they come from all walks of life, not just the local council or association. Early selections could disadvantage those in certain roles, especially those who are politically restricted, but selecting too late disadvantages the whole Conservative Party. But here is one advantage of being in opposition. We do not have many people in politically restricted roles anymore. We also don’t have the complication of the boundary review.
Those who secured Development passes but who hope to improve their pass level, don’t need to apply for these seats. However, younger or less experienced candidates might welcome the chance to build their network and skills over a longer period. Which is probably of far more use to them, and to the Party long-term.
For the 200-250 seats we need to target at the next election, including any retirement seats, the earliest possible selection is likely to deliver a better result.
This requires MPs to be honest if it is their intention to stand down. They should tell their associations as early as possible to give new candidates the longest possible time to build their own profile. This will also mean thousands of pounds are not wasted on campaigning for a candidate who steps away at the last moment and reduces the number of last-minute selections which need to be concluded. We know that MPs often feel the need to stay on till the last moment, but it is a huge handicap to the next candidate if they do not have time to establish themselves, especially in seats where success is not assured.
So, assuming reapproval and due diligence on existing approved candidates and new applicant approvals can be completed through 2025 and 2026, there is no reason we cannot begin selecting target seats straight after the 2026 Party Conference.
The whole timetable would look like this:
November 2024 – Invite re-approval applications from previously approved candidates
January 2025 – begin re-approval of previously approved candidates
May 2025 – invite applications from new applicants
June 2025 – begin approval of new applications
Conference 2025 – complete re-approvals
October 2025 – begin selections of non-target seats
Conference 2026 – complete approval of new applicants
December 2026 – complete selection of non-target seats
October 2026 – begin selection of target seats
Conference 2027 – complete selection of target seats
Spring 2028 – we’re ready for the General Election
Regional teams would need to manage approximately 2 selections per month over the 24 months from Conference 2025. That’s a manageable pace and this could then incorporate that element of campaigning amongst the electorate, (the membership), which is part of the Labour and Lib-Dem final selections. Allowing a reasonable period between the final shortlist being decided and the members hustings gives all candidates time to showcase their campaigning skills, meet local members and, dare I say it, time for their potential flaws to be exposed as well! This would also give non-local candidates a better opportunity to succeed.
Finally, in the interviews and/or final hustings, some standard questions beyond the one inviting an opening statement are needed to really dig at candidates’ Conservative values. Lots of great questions were asked in various selections. My personal favourite being, “Sum up your Conservative values in five words or fewer?”. I’m sure the talents of the Party can collate a list and decide on two or three of the best.
Two final thoughts.
One further element which ought to be considered is talent-spotting.
Every Premier League team has probably 50+ people contracted to watch other teams play and spot potential signings. Whilst there needs to be a clear understanding that we are looking for Conservatives with a big “C”, and those people need to be clear about the commitment they are making, we should not exclude the benefit of recruiting exceptional people who may never have thought about getting involved in politics. One of our best politicians of the past decade is Andy Street. He never thought about being a politician until the possibility of being Mayor of the West Midlands came up.
We need space for more Andy’s.
And we will still need emergency procedures for by-elections and there will be MPs who decide not to run again at the last minute. In the current procedure, there is no voice for the local association. As referred to in my first piece, this is probably the single most significant source of irritation amongst local members. Perhaps it would be better to let the local association nominate one candidate, which could be done at an emergency Executive Council meeting, the Chair of the National Convention could nominate another, and the Chair of the Candidates Committee, or Party Chairman the last one?
In all cases though the final choice should rest with local members and that does mean if the members say no there must be time for new candidates to be found.
