The Conservative A-List or Priority List was a list of

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

candidates drawn up by

Conservative Central Office The Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ), formerly known as Conservative Central Office (CCO), is the headquarters of the British Conservative Party, housing its central staff and committee members, including campaign coordinators and ma ...

at the behest of

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...

after his election as party leader in December 2005, aimed as a means of broadening the number of Conservative

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members oft ...

, potential peers and

MEP MEP may refer to: Organisations and politics * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, a political party in Sri Lanka * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (1956), a former political alliance in Sri Lanka * Maison européenne de la photographie, a photography centre ...

s from

minority group The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...

s and women as well as other preferred candidates for candidature. Where the preferred forums for selection were held, at least two members from the list were put to every

open primary Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the c ...

, and where these were not held the A-list were recommended directly, particularly to the top target seats.

History

In April 2006, a Conservative Party committee on candidates set out to deliver a promise by

to transform the Conservative party at

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buck ...

. The committee reduced 500 aspiring politicians on the party's list of approved parliamentary candidates to an "A-list" of between 100 and 150 priority candidates. The result was a list on which more than half of the names were of women. The list included the former ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based ...

'' actor

Adam Rickitt Adam Peter Rickitt (born 29 May 1978) is an English actor, singer and model. He portrayed the role of Nick Tilsley in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 1997 to 1999, and again from 2002 to 2004. He later joined the pop group 5th St ...

Zac Goldsmith Frank Zacharias Robin Goldsmith, Baron Goldsmith of Richmond Park, (born 20 January 1975) is a British politician, life peer and journalist serving as Minister of State for Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate and Environment s ...

, the author Louise Bagshawe (later Mensch), and Margot James. Amid controversy, the "A-list" approach was endorsed by

Michael Portillo Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo (; born 26 May 1953) is a British journalist, broadcaster and former politician. His broadcast series include railway documentaries such as '' Great British Railway Journeys'' and ''Great Continental Railway Journ ...

, a Conservative MP until 2005, who in 2006 said that Conservative chairmen and activists in seats considered potentially winnable were in the run-up to the 2010 election urged by

to select candidates from the new A-list and were in many cases included in open primaries, new and preferred open-to-all selection meetings. The 2010 general election saw failures as well as successes for the "A-listers" selected for 'winnable' seats.

Listed

Those on the A-list included the following: (bold marks people elected to Parliament in 2010) *Amar Ahmed, a GP in Cheshire since 2000 and was National Chairman Conservative Policy Forum, Public Sector and Infrastructure, between 2011 and 2015. * Tariq Ahmad, now a member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster ...

* Louise Bagshawe (later Mensch), MP for Corby, 2010–2012 *

Shaun Bailey Shaun Bailey may refer to: * Shaun Bailey, Baron Bailey of Paddington (born 1971), member of the London Assembly, life peer, and former journalist * Shaun Bailey (West Bromwich MP) (born 1992), British Conservative politician * Shaun Bailey (cricket ...

, children's worker, PPC for

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

2010, candidate for

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. The current ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

* Harriett Baldwin, MP for

West Worcestershire West Worcestershire is a constituency in Worcestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Harriett Baldwin, a Conservative. The constituency is considered a safe seat for the Conservatives. The constituency b ...

, 2010– * * Steve Barclay, MP for North East Cambridgeshire, 2010– * *

Gavin Barwell Gavin Laurence Barwell, Baron Barwell (born 23 January 1972) is a British politician and former Downing Street Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, Theresa May. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Member of Parliament for Croydon Cen ...

, MP for Croydon Central, 2010–2017 * *

James Bethell James Nicholas Bethell, 5th Baron Bethell (born 1 October 1967), is a British hereditary peer and Conservative politician in the House of Lords. Early life Bethell was educated at the independent, fee-paying Harrow School before going on to stu ...

, a Founder of the

Ministry of Sound Ministry of Sound or Ministry of Sound Group is a multimedia entertainment business based in London with a nightclub, shared workspace and private members' club, worldwide events operation, music publishing business and fitness studio. J ...

(subsequently inherited his father's peerage) * Nick Boles, MP for Grantham and Stamford, 2010–2019 * * Karen Bradley, MP for

Staffordshire Moorlands Staffordshire Moorlands is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, is based in Leek and is located between the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the Peak District National Park. The ...

, 2010– *

Angie Bray Angela Lavinia Bray, Baroness Bray of Coln (born 13 October 1953) is a British Conservative Party politician who was the Member of the London Assembly for West Central from 2000 to 2008, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Ealing Central and Acton ...

, MP for

Ealing Central and Acton Ealing Central and Acton is a constituency created in 2010 represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Rupa Huq, who was elected as a Labour MP but was suspended from the party in September 2022 following alleged ra ...

, 2010–2015 * Steve Brine, MP for Winchester, 2010– * Fiona Bruce, MP for

Congleton Congleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The town is by the River Dane, south of Manchester and north of Stoke on Trent. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 26,482. Topony ...

, 2010– * Dr. David Bull, television presenter, PPC for Brighton Pavilion, 2010,

Brexit Party Reform UK is a right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded with support from Nigel Farage in November 2018 as the Brexit Party, advocating hard Euroscepticism and a no-deal Brexit, and was briefly a significant po ...

MEP, 2019–2020 *

Conor Burns Conor Burns (born 24 September 1972) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bournemouth West since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Minister of State for Trade Policy from 2019 to 20 ...

, MP for Bournemouth West, 2010– * * Georgina Butler, former Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Costa Rica * Martin Callanan, MEP for

North East England North East England is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. The region has three current administrative levels below the region level in the region; combined authority, unitary authori ...

* Joanne Cash, barrister, PPC for Westminster North 2010 *

Pam Chesters Pamela Joy Chesters CBE (born 1956) is a former executive of British Petroleum who was later a Camden London Borough Council councillor, a Conservative parliamentary candidate, and an advisor to Boris Johnson. She now serves as Chair of Counc ...

London Assembly The London Assembly is a 25-member elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds super-majority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget and to rejec ...

Advisor for Health and Youth Opportunities * Damian Collins, MP for Folkestone and Hythe, 2010– * * Tim Collins, former MP * Charles Crawford, former Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Poland * Iain Dale, blogger *

Caroline Dinenage Caroline Julia Dinenage, Baroness Lancaster of Kimbolton, (born 28 October 1971), also styled as Dame Caroline Dinenage, is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gosport since 2010. She was re ...

, MP for

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan borough on the south coast of Hampshire, South East England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,662. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite ...

, 2010– * Jane Ellison, MP for

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batte ...

, 2010–2017 * Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, Entrepreneur of the Year — the Black Enterprise Awards 2005, PPC Chippenham 2010 * Howard Flight, former MP, now member of the

* Vicky Ford, MEP for East of England, MP for

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of Lond ...

, 2017– * * Jacqueline Foster,

for

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, administrative counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of ...

* George Freeman, MP for Mid Norfolk, 2010– * *David Gold, PPC for

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The thre ...

2010 *

, MP for

Richmond Park Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of London's Royal Parks, and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I in the 17th century as a deer pa ...

, 2010–2016, 2017–2019, member of the

, 2020– *

Francois Gordon Jean Francois Gordon (born 16 April 1953) was the British Ambassador to Algeria from 1996 to 1999, Ambassador to the Ivory Coast from 2001 to 2004 and High Commissioner to Uganda from 2005 to 2008. Foreign Office Career Gordon joined the Fore ...

, former High Commissioner to Uganda * Helen Grant, MP for Maidstone and The Weald, 2010– * Andrew Griffiths, MP for

Burton Burton, Burtons, or Burton's may refer to: Companies * Burton (retailer), a clothing retailer ** Burton's, Abergavenny, a shop built for the company in 1937 **The Montague Burton Building, Dublin a shop built for the company between 1929 and ...

, 2010–2019 * *

Sam Gyimah Samuel Phillip Gyimah (; born 10 August 1976) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for East Surrey from 2010 to 2019. First elected as a Conservative, Gyimah rebelled against the government to block a no-deal ...

, MP for East Surrey, 2010–2019 * * Rebecca Harris, MP for

Castle Point Castle Point is a local government district with borough status in south Essex, east of central London. The borough comprises the towns and villages of Canvey Island, Hadleigh, South Benfleet, and Thundersley. The borough council is situated at ...

, 2010– * * Chris Heaton-Harris, MP for Daventry, 2010– * Margot James, MP for

Stourbridge Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour. Historically in Worcestershire, it was the centre of British glass making during the Industrial Revolution. The ...

, 2010–2019 * Syed Kamall, MEP for

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

* Pauline Latham, MP for

Mid Derbyshire Mid Derbyshire is a List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies, constituency represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament since its 2010 creation by Pau ...

, 2010– * *

Andrea Leadsom Dame Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (; ' Salmon; born 13 May 1963) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Northamptonshire since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary of State for Environ ...

, MP for

South Northamptonshire South Northamptonshire was, from 1974 to 2021, a district in Northamptonshire, England. Its council was based in the town of Towcester, first established as a settlement in Roman Britain. The population of the Local Authority District Council in ...

, 2010– * * Dr. Phillip Lee, MP for

Bracknell Bracknell () is a large town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, the westernmost area within the Greater London Urban Area and the administrative centre of the Borough of Bracknell Forest. It lies to the east of Reading, south of Maidenhe ...

, 2010–2019 * *

Brandon Lewis Brandon Kenneth Lewis (born 20 June 1971) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor from September to October 2022. He previously served as Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2018 to 2019 ...

, MP for

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of ...

, 2010– *

Group Captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

Al Lockwood *

Jack Lopresti Giacomo "Jack" Lopresti (born 23 August 1969) is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Filton and Bradley Stoke since the 2010 general election. Early life and career Lopresti was born on 23 A ...

, MP for

Filton and Bradley Stoke Filton and Bradley Stoke is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Jack Lopresti, a Conservative. History The seat was created by the Boundary Commission for the 2010 general election. The s ...

, 2010– * Kit Malthouse, Member of the

, MP for North West Hampshire 2015– * Paul Maynard, MP for Blackpool North, 2010– *

Anne McIntosh Anne Caroline Ballingall McIntosh, Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (born 20 September 1954) is a British politician who has been a life peer since 2015. A member of the Conservative Party, McIntosh represented the Thirsk and Malton constituency ...

, MP for Thirsk and Malton, 2010–2015 * Esther McVey, MP for Wirral West, 2010–2015 and Tatton, 2017– * Mark Menzies, MP for Fylde, 2010– * *

Priti Patel Priti Sushil Patel (born 29 March 1972) is a British politician who served as Home Secretary from 2019 to 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she was Secretary of State for International Development from 2016 to 2017. Patel has been the M ...

,Robin Brant
A year on, has the A-list worked?
at BBC.co.uk dated December 2006 MP for Witham, 2010– * * Mark Pawsey, MP for Rugby, 2010– *

Andrew Percy Andrew Theakstone Percy (born 18 September 1977) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brigg and Goole since 2010. He is an active member of many groups in Parliament, including All Part ...

, MP for

Brigg and Goole Brigg and Goole is a constituency in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Andrew Percy, a Conservative. The constituency is among a small minority of constituencies that span two ...

, 2010– * Kulveer Ranger, Director of Environment *

Annunziata Rees-Mogg Annunziata Mary Rees-Mogg (; born 25 March 1979) is a freelance journalist whose focus is finance, economics, and European politics and has been a British Brexit Party then Conservative politician during 2019 and into early 2020. She has bee ...

, journalist, PPC for

Somerton and Frome Somerton and Frome is a constituency in Somerset represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by David Warburton, who was elected as a Conservative, but currently sits as an Independent after losing the Conservative whip in ...

, 2010, Brexit Party MEP, 2019–2020 *

, actor and singer * Caroline Righton, presenter, PPC for St Austell and Newquay, 2010 *Murad Roberts, Member of the

Society of Conservative Lawyers The Society of Conservative Lawyers was founded in 1947 and is an affiliate of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party of the United Kingdom. A leading Conservative think tank, the society also provides expert legal advice to the Conservati ...

, 2015 * Amber Rudd, MP for

Hastings and Rye Hastings and Rye is a constituency in East Sussex represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Sally-Ann Hart of the Conservative Party. From 2010 until 2019, it was represented by Amber Rudd, who served as Secretary of ...

, 2010–2019 *

Laura Sandys Laura Jane Sandys (; born 5 June 1964) is a former chair of the European Movement UK, and a British Conservative Party politician, who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Thanet between 2010 and 2015 when she stood down at the ...

, MP for Thanet South, 2010–2015 * Jane Scott, Leader of

Wiltshire Council Wiltshire Council is a council for the unitary authority of Wiltshire (excluding the separate Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of Borough of Swindon, Swindon) in South West England, created in 2009. It is the successor authorit ...

, now member of the House of Lords *

Anna Soubry Anna Mary Soubry (; born 7 December 1956) is a British barrister, journalist and former politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Broxtowe from 2010 to 2019. Known for her support of pro-European policies, she was originally elected as ...

, MP for Broxtowe, 2010–2019 * Andrew Stephenson, MP for

Pendle Pendle may refer to: * Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England ** Pendle (UK Parliament constituency) * Pendle Hill in Lancashire, England ** Forest of Pendle, hilly landscape surrounding the hill * Pendle College of the University of Lancaster ...

, 2010– *

Mel Stride Melvyn John Stride (born 30 September 1961) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions since October 2022. He previously served in the May Government as Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster G ...

, MP for Central Devon, 2010– * *

Philippa Stroud Philippa Claire Stroud, Baroness Stroud (born 2 April 1965) is a British think tanker. She is the chief executive officer of the Legatum Institute, and a co-founder and former executive director of the think tank the Centre for Social Justice ...

, Director of the Centre for Social Justice, joined House of Lords in 2015 *

Liz Truss Mary Elizabeth Truss (born 26 July 1975) is a British politician who briefly served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022. On her fiftieth day in office, she stepped down ...

, MP for South West Norfolk, 2010–.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As moder ...

, 2022. * Sayeeda Warsi, now member of the House of Lords * Heather Wheeler, MP for

South Derbyshire South Derbyshire is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. The population of the local authority at the 2011 Census was 94,611. It contains a third of the National Forest, and the council offices are in Swadlincote. The district ...

, 2010– * Susan Williams, now member of the House of Lords

Notes and references

Notes

References

{{David Cameron History of the Conservative Party (UK) David Cameron Organisation of the Conservative Party (UK)