Conservative A-List and selections

11.39.00am BST (GMT +0100) Sun 4th Jun 2006

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One of the things that has happened whilst I have been away was the announcement of the Conservative A-List and their first 35 Target seats that will select (both detailed below).

I am fairly convinced this project will fail we have already seen many very good Conservative candidates not make the A-List such as Iain Dale (who stood in North Norfolk last time) and many lightweights such as Adam Rickitt (formerly of Coronation Street, failed underwear model and pop star), also many local parties refusing to co-operate. I am not sure quite how big the backlash will be but it should be fun watching!

As for the list of seats that will select first, it is a very odd list with many seats that you would expect the Conservatives to win in the next election and features no seats in any of the major cities outside of London.

The A-List candidates

Carolyn Abbot (Barnsley East & Mexborough PPC in 2005)

Tariq Ahmad (Croydon North PPC in 2005)

Amar Ahmed (Manchester Blackley PPC in 2005)

Clive Allen (Devon North PPC in 2001 and Somerton and Frome in 2005)

Louise Bagshawe (Author)

Harriett Baldwin (PPC in Stockton North)

Steve Barclay (Lancaster & Wyre PPC in 2001)

Gavin Barwell (Former Director of Campaigning at CCO)

James Bethell (A founder of the Ministry of Sound and Tooting PPC in 2005)

Nicholas Boles (Head of Policy Exchange and Hove PPC in 2005)

Karen Bradley (Former CCHQ policy officer and Manchester Withington PPC in 2005)

Angie Bray (Member of the Greater London Assembly)

Steve Brine (Runs Hampshire PR business)

Fiona Bruce (Small Businesswoman of the Year 2003 and became Warrington South PPC after winning open primary)

Sharon Buckle (East Midlands European candidate in 2004)

Dr David Bull

Conor Burns (Twice PPC for Eastleigh)

Martin Callanan MEP

Pam Chesters (Bristol West PPC in 2001)

Timothy Coleridge (Kensington & Chelsea councillor)

Damian Collins (2005 candidate for Northampton North)

Tim Collins (former Tory MP)

Mark Coote (Candidate for Hastings & Rye in 2001 and 2005)

Peter Cox (PPC for Exeter in 2005)

Caroline Dinenage (PPC for Portsmouth South 2005)

Antonia Dunn (PPC for Cynon Valley 2005 and Wandsworth councillor)

Jane Ellison (Pendle PPC in 2005)

Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones (Entrepreneur of the Year at the Black Enterprise Awards 2005)

Dr Richard Evans (Hendon PPC in 2001 and 2005)

Suella Fernandes (Candidate for Leicester East in 2005)

Howard Flight (Former MP)

Vicky Ford (Birmingham Northfield PPC in 2005)

Jackie Foster (Former MEP)

George Freeman (Candidate for Stevenage in 2005)

David Gold (Candidate for Brighton Pavillion in 2001)

Zac Goldsmith (Co-Chair of the Environment Policy Group)

Ashley Gray (PPC for Cornwall SE in 2001 and 2005)

Andrew Griffith (PPC for Corby and East Northants 2001 and 2005)

Andrew Griffiths (Chief of Staff to Hugo Swire MP, PPC in Dudley North in 2001 and European candidate in 2004)

Laetitia Gunn (Salford PPC in 2005)

Sam Gyimah (CBI Entrepreneur of the Future in 2005)

Hannah Hall (Candidate for Luton North in 2005)

Rebecca Harris (Special Adviser to Tim Yeo MP)

Chris Heaton-Harris MEP

Kay Hemmings (Daventry Councillor)

Pippa Hill (Ex-publisher)

Kevin Hollinrake (Yorkshire estate agent)

Kim Humphreys (PPC Camberwell & Peckham 1997, PPC Dulwich & West Norwood 2005)

Maria Hutchings (Disabled Rights Champion)

Margot James (Tory Vice-Chairman and PPC for Holborn & Pancras in 2005)

Syed Kamall MEP

Fiona Kemp (Candidate for Truro & St Austell in 2005 and GP)

Pauline Latham (PPC for Broxtowe in 2001)

Andrea Leadsom (Local councillor and banker and PPC for Knowsley South in 2005)

Phillip Lee (PPC for Blaenau Gwent 2005 and GP)

Cllr Brandon Lewis (Leader of Brentwood Borough Council)

Katy Lindsay (Hull East PPC 2005)

Alan Lockwood (Sedgefield PPC in 2005)

Jack LoPresti (Bristol councillor)

Dorothy Luckhurst (Blaydon PPC in 2005 and Ayrshire North and Arran in 2001)

Kit Malthouse (Former Deputy Leader of Westminster Council)

Julia Manning (Health professional, Bristol East PPC 2005)

Paul Maynard (Adviser to Liam Fox and Twickenham PPC in 2005)

Cordelia McCartney (PPC in Lewisham Deptford in 2001)

Anne McIntosh MP (Vale of York seat 'disappears' because of boundary changes)

Amanda McLean (senior charity worker and Oxford West and Abingdon PPC in 2005)

Melanie McLean (Businesswoman and Islington South and Finsbury PPC in 2005)

Esther McVey (Businesswoman and PPC for Wirral West in 2005)

Mark Menzies (Selby PPC 2005)

Jeremy Middleton (Member of the Conservative Party Board and by-election candidate for Hartlepool in 2004)

Ali Miraj (PPC for Aberavon in 2001 and PPC for Watford in 2005)

Emma Moffett (Businesswoman and voluntary worker)

Julie Moody

Wendy Morton

Beverley Nielsen (recent Midlands Business Woman of the Year)

Hannah Parker (Former Chairman of Conservative Future)

Priti Patel (Former Candidate for Nottingham North)

Mark Pawsey (Nuneaton PPC in 2005)

Andrew Percy (Hull councillor, teacher and former Normanton PPC)

Maggie Punyer (Harrogate PPC 2005)

Kulveer Ranger (Former Candidate for Makerfield)

Adam Rickitt (Actor and Singer)

Caroline Righton

Alexandra Robson (New Hammersmith & Fulham councillor and Wolverhampton NE PPC in 2005)

Julie Rook (Dover councillor)

Amber Rudd (PPC in Liverpool Garston 2005 and Chairman of Travel Intelligence)

Laura Sandys (Chair of OpenDemocracy)

Jane Scott (Leader of Wiltshire County Council)

Lucy Shersby (Battersea PPC in 2001 and media executive)

Pamela Singleton (Pudsey PPC in 2005 and Pontefract and Castleford in 2001)

Anna Soubry (Gedling PPC in 2005)

Jason Steen (PPC in Liverpool Wavertree 2005)

Andrew Stephenson (Macclesfield councillor)

Mel Stride (Social Entrepreneur)

Philippa Stroud (Director of the Centre for Social Justice and Birmingham Ladywood PPC in 2005)

Judith Symes (Brighton Kempton PPC in 2005 and Bootle PPC in 2001)

Elizabeth Truss (Former Parliamentary Candidate and PPC for Calder Valley, 2005)

Simon Walker (media company executive and member of John Major's Downing Street Policy Unit)

Sayeeda Warsi (Tory Vice-Chairman and Dewsbury PPC in 2005)

Heather Wheeler (PPC for Coventry South in 2001 and 2005)

Susan Williams (Leader of Trafford Council)

The 35 Target Seats that will select first:

Broxtowe

Daventry

Mid Derbyshire

South Northamptonshire

Colchester

Luton North

Stevenage

Watford

Ealing Central and Acton

Eltham

Finchley and Golders Green

Richmond Park

Stockton South

Bury South

Pendle

Sefton Central

Folkestone and Hythe

Hove

Lewes

Oxford West and Abingdon

Reading West

Central Devon

Chippenham

Filton and Bradley Stoke

North East Somerset

South Dorset

Truro and Falmouth

Coventry South

Stafford

Staffordshire Moorlands

Telford

West Worcestershire

Worcester

Selby and Ainsty

York Outer (Vale of York)