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.
Karen Bradley A former adviser to the party on economic policy and candidate in Manchester Withington in 2005, Karen was selected in July 2006 for Staffordshire Moorlands. After boundary changes, the seat - currently held for Labour by Charlotte Atkins - becomes notionally Conservative-held with a notional majority of 1,618.
Conor Burns A former leader of the Conservatives on Southampton City Council and two-time candidate in Eastleigh in 2001 and 2005, Conor was selected in September 2008 for Bournemouth West, where Sir John Butterfill is standing down. He will defend a notional majority of 2,766.
Damian Collins Candidate for Northampton North in 2005, Damian was another early section, chosen as he was in July 2006 for Folkestone & Hythe, where Michael Howard is standing down. He will defend a notional majority of 12,446.
After 9 years working for the M&C Saatchi advertising agency, last
year he joined Lexington Communications as Senior Counsel.
George Freeman The candidate for Stevenage in 2005, George was selected in October 2006 for the newly-drawn Mid Norfolk seat, where he will defend a notional majority of 7,793. He runs his own business developing new medical technologies and was the second candidate to write the Diary of a PPC feature for ConservativeHome.
Rebecca Harris
Variously a councillor in Chichester, a member of the Conservative
Research Department and speical adviser to Tim Yeo, Rebecca was
selected in July 2008 to stand in Castle Point, where sitting MP Bob Spink no longer takes the Conservative whip. She will defend a Conservative majority of 8,201.
Chris Heaton-Harris MEP for the East Midlands since 1999 and a two-time candidate in Leicester South (1997 and 2004 by-election), Chris was selected in June 2006 for Daventry, where sitting MP Tim Boswell is standing down. He will defend a notional majority of 11,776. He is stepping down from the European Parliament in June.
Pauline Latham Parliamentary candidate for Broxtowe in 2001 and a candidate for the European Parliament in the East Midlands in both 1999 and 2004, Pauline was selected in June 2006 for the newly created Mid Derbyshire, where she will defend a notional majority of 5,329. She has been a member of Derby City Council for most of the last two decades, serving as mayor between 2007 and 2008.
Andrea Leadsom Having
contested Knowsley South in 2005, Andrea was one of the first on the
priority list to be selected, chosen as she was in June 2006 for the
newly-created South Northamptonshire constituency. She will defend a notional majority of 11,356.
She recently stepped down from her job as Head of Corporate Governance
at Invesco Perpetual in order to concentrate on politics.
Jack Lopresti A former Bristol City councillor and candidate for Bristol East in 2001 and the European Parliamnt in the South West in 2004, Jack was selected for the newly-created Filton & Bradley Stoke constituency in the summer of 2006. He will defend a notional majority of 653 in what is on paper a tight three-way marginal. A member of the TA, he recently returned from Afghanistan, where he served with the 29 Commando in Helmand Province.
Anne McIntosh MP since 1997 for Vale of York, a constituency which is to be abolished by the Boundary Commission. She was selected in November 2006 for the new Thirsk & Malton seat, for which she beat fellow parliamentarian John Greenway, the sitting MP for Ryedale. She will defend a notional majority of 14,117. Anne has held a series of frontbench posts since 2001 and is currently a shadow minister for the environemnt, food and rural affairs.
Esther McVey The TV presenter and businesswoman was reselected in September 2006 for Wirral West,
the seat in which she stood in 2005. However, after boundary changes
which are helpful to the Conservative cause, on paper she has
effectively already ousted sitting Labour MP Stephen Hesford and
defends a notional Conservative majority of 569.
Mark Menzies The candidate for Glasgow Govan in 2001 and Selby in 2005, Mark was selected in November 2008 for Fylde, where sitting MP Michael Jack is standing down. He will defend a notional majority of 11,117 and is currently head of local marketing for Morrison's.
Priti Patel A former press aide to William Hague, Priti stood in Nottingham North in 2005 and was selected in November 2006 for the newly created Essex constituency of Witham, which draws on parts of four existing Tory-held seats. She will defend a notional majority of 7,241.
Laura Sandys Selected in October 2006 for the Kent seat of Thanet South.
Like Staffordshire Moorlands and Wirral West, boundary changes make what is currently a
Labour marginal for Stephen Ladyman MP into a notionally Conservative
held seat, with a notional majority of 810.
Mel Stride The very first A-Lister to be selected, Mel was chosen in June 2006 to stand in the newly-created Central Devon constituency, which comprise parts of no fewer than five existing seats, three of which have sitting Conservative MPs and two of which are Lib Dem held. He will defend a notional majority of 2,338.
Jonathan Isaby
PS: I have been unable to establish the intentions of just one of the one hundred original A-Listers - Dr Richard Evans. If he is reading or if any readers are able to help, please email me.
