Greg Hands is the Chairman of the Conservative Party, and is the MP for Chelsea and Fulham.
In early February, I was asked by our Prime Minister to become Chairman of the Conservative Party. Having been a Party member, activist, Councillor, and Member of Parliament for more than 35 years, it was a privilege to be asked to represent our members around the Cabinet table and get CCHQ campaign ready: not just for the local elections in a couple of weeks, but for the upcoming General Election.
Having now had two months to take a closer look under the bonnet and work alongside Stephen Massey, CCHQ’s excellent Chief Executive Officer, I have been impressed with what I have found so far. From an improving financial backdrop to dedicated and hardworking staff, to well-developed and localised campaign plans, which are being led by our fantastic Conservative councillors and volunteers.
With local elections now just around the corner, and having campaigned in recent weeks from Ramsgate to Hartlepool and from Worcester to Accrington, we should be under no illusion that it will be a tough election. But we are fighting a comprehensive campaign and clearly articulating to the electorate why Conservative-run councils are so important.
Whilst on the road, I have also been listening to party members, officers of the National Convention, and CCHQ field staff about what more CCHQ could be doing to better support local Associations and give ourselves every opportunity at the next General Election.
The overwhelming response I have received not only in the last few weeks but over the last few years has been: let us select our parliamentary candidates as early as possible. I completely agree.
The party has already made significant strides in improving the way candidates are selected. For the first time in twenty years, we have conducted a root and branch review, focusing on every aspect of how we approve candidates, the digitalisation of the applications, and enhanced due diligence checks.
This new approach will ensure that the process is robust and efficient, helping us in our quest to find the best possible people for these incredibly important jobs – and in turn, ensuring they have not only our support but confidence in our system.
These vital changes will strengthen and streamline the process. We all know the sooner the Party can get high-quality candidates in place in constituencies up and down the country the more time they have to promote their local priorities, knock on doors, and build a strong profile.
I began my parliamentary career in 2005 when I gained my seat from Labour. However, I was selected in October 2002, two and a half years in advance of that General Election. We have seen the same for many of our colleagues. We gave them and their teams the time they needed to build a local profile which on top of the national swing has seen us achieve some remarkable results.
From toppling Ed Balls in Morley and Outwood in 2015, to taking back Eastbourne from the Liberal Democrats in 2019, having well-known local candidates can help deliver victory in the tightest of margins.
Therefore, at our Spring Conference in Birmingham, I announced that we will have 100 candidates in place by the time of our Party Conference in the Autumn. This is an aggressive timetable, but I know it is the right thing to do.
It is why I have been focused on getting the readoption of our Conservative MPs on new parliamentary boundaries completed. This is an important priority for me, and as we near the completion of this milestone, we can now start to turn our focus to getting candidates in place as quickly as possible.
Therefore, I am delighted to announce that the first tranche of constituencies are being advertised today.
Within this first tranche, there is a real mix of seats, with all regions represented, ensuring our Party can start to bring a diverse range of candidates to bolster our campaigning efforts on the ground and a growing number of voices to promote the Prime Minister’s 5 priorities in the air war.
I am sure this is welcome news to Associations without a Member of Parliament. I can already anticipate questions about the process and whether the Party will be “parachuting” candidates into these areas.
We have the time, with no impending snap general election (unlike in 2017 and 2019), to follow the selection process in full, restoring huge value to being a member of the Party.
As part of this process and thanks to the hard work of both the Candidates team at CCHQ and our wonderful volunteer assessors over the last three years, we have a strong list of approved candidates already in place. This means that by the time a vacancy is advertised, the Association sifting committee will already have a long list of candidates to review and consider.
From here, they will be able to create a shortlist, taking a number of candidates to the Association Executive and then to local hustings and a vote of their full membership.
It’s important to note that whilst these seats are being advertised to our approved list of candidates, we are not closing our candidates application process. Therefore, if you or someone you know can clearly articulate our Party values, there is still plenty of time for you to come forward and become an approved member of the candidates list.
Today marks a vital milestone in our journey to winning the next General Election. I look forward to working with you on that journey.
Greg Hands is the Chairman of the Conservative Party, and is the MP for Chelsea and Fulham.
In early February, I was asked by our Prime Minister to become Chairman of the Conservative Party. Having been a Party member, activist, Councillor, and Member of Parliament for more than 35 years, it was a privilege to be asked to represent our members around the Cabinet table and get CCHQ campaign ready: not just for the local elections in a couple of weeks, but for the upcoming General Election.
Having now had two months to take a closer look under the bonnet and work alongside Stephen Massey, CCHQ’s excellent Chief Executive Officer, I have been impressed with what I have found so far. From an improving financial backdrop to dedicated and hardworking staff, to well-developed and localised campaign plans, which are being led by our fantastic Conservative councillors and volunteers.
With local elections now just around the corner, and having campaigned in recent weeks from Ramsgate to Hartlepool and from Worcester to Accrington, we should be under no illusion that it will be a tough election. But we are fighting a comprehensive campaign and clearly articulating to the electorate why Conservative-run councils are so important.
Whilst on the road, I have also been listening to party members, officers of the National Convention, and CCHQ field staff about what more CCHQ could be doing to better support local Associations and give ourselves every opportunity at the next General Election.
The overwhelming response I have received not only in the last few weeks but over the last few years has been: let us select our parliamentary candidates as early as possible. I completely agree.
The party has already made significant strides in improving the way candidates are selected. For the first time in twenty years, we have conducted a root and branch review, focusing on every aspect of how we approve candidates, the digitalisation of the applications, and enhanced due diligence checks.
This new approach will ensure that the process is robust and efficient, helping us in our quest to find the best possible people for these incredibly important jobs – and in turn, ensuring they have not only our support but confidence in our system.
These vital changes will strengthen and streamline the process. We all know the sooner the Party can get high-quality candidates in place in constituencies up and down the country the more time they have to promote their local priorities, knock on doors, and build a strong profile.
I began my parliamentary career in 2005 when I gained my seat from Labour. However, I was selected in October 2002, two and a half years in advance of that General Election. We have seen the same for many of our colleagues. We gave them and their teams the time they needed to build a local profile which on top of the national swing has seen us achieve some remarkable results.
From toppling Ed Balls in Morley and Outwood in 2015, to taking back Eastbourne from the Liberal Democrats in 2019, having well-known local candidates can help deliver victory in the tightest of margins.
Therefore, at our Spring Conference in Birmingham, I announced that we will have 100 candidates in place by the time of our Party Conference in the Autumn. This is an aggressive timetable, but I know it is the right thing to do.
It is why I have been focused on getting the readoption of our Conservative MPs on new parliamentary boundaries completed. This is an important priority for me, and as we near the completion of this milestone, we can now start to turn our focus to getting candidates in place as quickly as possible.
Therefore, I am delighted to announce that the first tranche of constituencies are being advertised today.
Within this first tranche, there is a real mix of seats, with all regions represented, ensuring our Party can start to bring a diverse range of candidates to bolster our campaigning efforts on the ground and a growing number of voices to promote the Prime Minister’s 5 priorities in the air war.
I am sure this is welcome news to Associations without a Member of Parliament. I can already anticipate questions about the process and whether the Party will be “parachuting” candidates into these areas.
We have the time, with no impending snap general election (unlike in 2017 and 2019), to follow the selection process in full, restoring huge value to being a member of the Party.
As part of this process and thanks to the hard work of both the Candidates team at CCHQ and our wonderful volunteer assessors over the last three years, we have a strong list of approved candidates already in place. This means that by the time a vacancy is advertised, the Association sifting committee will already have a long list of candidates to review and consider.
From here, they will be able to create a shortlist, taking a number of candidates to the Association Executive and then to local hustings and a vote of their full membership.
It’s important to note that whilst these seats are being advertised to our approved list of candidates, we are not closing our candidates application process. Therefore, if you or someone you know can clearly articulate our Party values, there is still plenty of time for you to come forward and become an approved member of the candidates list.
Today marks a vital milestone in our journey to winning the next General Election. I look forward to working with you on that journey.