Candidates standing in the United Kingdom general election, 2015
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3,971 candidates stood in the
United Kingdom general election of 2015 The 2015 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 7 May 2015 to elect 650 members to the House of Commons. It was the first and only general election held at the end of a Parliament under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011. Loca ...
, which was held on 7 May 2015. The deadline for parties and individuals to file candidate nomination papers to the acting returning officer (and the deadline for candidates to withdraw) was 4 p.m. on 9 April 2015.Election 2015: Scottish nominations close
BBC News (9 April 2015).

''Belfast Telegraph'' (9 April 2015).
The total number of candidates was 3,971; this is the second-highest number in history, slightly down from the record 4,150 candidates at the last election in 2010.Nick Eardley
Election 2015: The candidates in numbers
BBC News, 22 April 2015.


Overall candidate profile


Gender

A record number of female candidates stood in terms of both absolute numbers and percentage of candidates: 1,020 (26.1%), up from 854 (21.1%) in 2010. The proportion of female candidates varied by region: 26.6% in Wales, 26.2% in England (30.4% in London), 25.6% in Scotland, and 23.9% in Northern Ireland. The proportion of female candidates was lowest in eastern England (21.6%). Parties with the highest proportion of female candidates were the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (41%), the Greens (in England and Wales and Scotland) (38%), and the SNP (36%).Sophie Warnes & Patrick Scott
General Election 2015: Where are all the female candidates?
''Mirror'' (27 March 2015).
The party with the lowest proportion was UKIP (12%). The constituency with the most female candidates was Camberwell and Peckham in
south London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borou ...
, where five women and four men were standing. In 120 constituencies, no female candidate stood.


Occupation

University College London's Parliamentary Candidates UK project evaluated the background of 2015 general-election candidates (excluding incumbent MPs) from the seven major parties: Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, UKIP, Plaid Cymru, the SNP, and the Greens.Asa Bennett
Which party has the most career politicians standing for election – and how many have had a 'real job'?
''Telegraph'', 30 March 2015.
The project found that 26% of candidates contesting the 2015 general election were political professionals (defined as those currently working as advisers, researchers, party officials, trade unionists or lobbyists). The parties with the highest percentage of political-professional candidates were the SNP (47%), Labour (33%), and Plaid Cymru (33%); the party with the lowest percentage of political-professional candidates is UKIP. The parties with the highest proportion of lobbyist candidates are the Conservatives (27%) and the Liberal Democrats (21%). The party with the highest percentages of candidates from a business or commercial background was UKIP (37%) and the Conservatives (21%); the lowest is the Greens (15%). The party with the highest percentages of candidates in professions such as law and teaching are the Liberal Democrats (16%) followed by Labour (12%). The Conservatives have the largest number of researcher candidates (12), but the SNP has the largest percentage of researcher candidates (five researchers, or 8% of its candidates). Some 23% of Labour candidates work in trade unions. The Liberal Democrats have the highest percentage of candidates who sit on local councils (53%), followed by the SNP (43%) and UKIP (40%).


Age

According to UCL's Parliamentary Candidates UK project, the average age of the candidates for the seven major parties is 45; there is substantial deviation among the parties, with Conservatives having the youngest average (41) and UKIP the oldest (52); in the middle are Labour (43) and the Liberal Democrats (47). Among marginal seats—those constituencies that are highly contested—UKIP and the Liberal Democrats both have a lower average age for candidates (44) than for all seats in general, while the Conservatives, Labour, and Greens all have slightly older candidates in such seats than for seats in general. The youngest candidates are Solomon Curtis, 18, of Labour, standing in the safe Conservative seat of Wealden; Niamh McCarthy, 18, an independent, standing in the safe Labour seat of Liverpool Wavertree; Michael Burrows, 18, of UKIP, standing in Inverclyde, Scotland; Declan Lloyd, of Labour, standing in
South East Cornwall South East Cornwall is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Sheryll Murray, a Conservative. Boundaries 1983–2010: The District of Caradon, the Borough of Restormel wards of Fowey, Lostwit ...
; and Laura-Jane Rossington, 18, of the Communist Party of Britain. The youngest Conservative candidate is Taylor Muir, 19, standing in Rutherglen and Hamilton West. The youngest candidate who became an MP in the election is Mhairi Black, 20, of the SNP, who became the youngest MP since 1667 (prior to the Acts of Union) after she defeated Labour's Douglas Alexander in the Paisley and Renfrewshire South constituency. Tracy McVeigh, The oldest candidate is Doris Osen, 84, of the Elderly Persons' Independent Party (EPIC), who is standing in
Ilford North Ilford North is a constituency created in 1945 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Wes Streeting of the Labour Party. History The seat was created for the 1945 general election, from the northern part of ...
. Other oldest candidates standing in the election include two longtime Labour MPs standing for reelection: Sir
Gerald Kaufman Sir Gerald Bernard Kaufman (21 June 1930 – 26 February 2017) was a British politician and author who served as a minister throughout the Labour government of 1974 to 1979. Elected as a member of parliament (MP) at the 1970 general election, ...
, 84, of
Manchester Gorton Manchester Gorton is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Labour's Afzal Khan, who was elected at the 2017 general election. It is the safest Labour seat in Greater Manchester by numerical majority and ...
, and Dennis Skinner, 83, of Bolsover.


Ethnic background

According to UCL's Parliamentary Candidates UK project, of the major parties, the major parties had the following percentages of black and ethnic minority candidates: the Conservatives 11%, the Liberal Democrats 10%, Labour 9%, UKIP 6%, the Greens 4%.Matt Fathan
General Election 2015: Natalie Bennett admits the Green party has a problem over its lack of black and ethnic minority candidates
''Independent'' (April 22, 2015).
About 17% of the British population as a whole identifies as black or ethnic minority. Neither UKIP nor the Greens selected a black or ethnic minority candidate to stand in a seat viewed as winnable. The Green leader, Natalie Bennett, stated that "I would agree that our percentage of BME candidates is disappointing and it's something we very much want to focus on." A total of 158 British Asians (i.e., Britons of South Asian descent) stood for election: 111 men and 47 women.Harvey Bhogal
Asian Candidates for the 2015 UK General Election
''Desi Blitz'' (April 25, 2015).
The Conservatives are standing 36 British Asian candidates, Labour 34, the Liberal Democrats 32, UKIP 21, the Greens eight, the Communities United Party four, the SNP one, and assorted other parties 17. Five British Asians stood as independents.
British Indian British Indians are citizens of the United Kingdom (UK) whose ancestral roots are from India. This includes people born in the UK who are of Indian origin as well as Indians who have migrated to the UK. Today, Indians comprise about 1.4 mil ...
s are the largest non-white ethnic grouping in Britain, and the votes of the British Indian community were seen as critical. The 2015 election featured the first
Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
candidate to stand in a Northern Ireland constituency: Amandeep Singh Bhogal, a Conservative standing in Upper Bann.


Former MPs standing against each other

Unusually, three former MPs competed against each other in a single seat,
Northampton North Northampton North is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Michael Ellis, a Conservative. The constituency is a considered a bellwether, as it has reflected the national result at every gener ...
.Three former MPs among candidates competing in Northampton North
BBC News (11 April 2015).
There, Conservative Michael Ellis, who was elected to the seat in 2010; Labour candidate
Sally Keeble Sally Curtis Keeble (born 13 October 1951) is a British Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Northampton North from the 1997 to 2010 general elections, when she lost her seat to the Conservative Party candidate ...
, who was a Labour MP for the seat from 1997 to 2010; and Green candidate Tony Clarke, who was a Labour MP for neighbouring Northampton South from 1997 to 2005 before leaving the party, are all competing against each other. It is not unusual for two former MPs to compete in an election (often a rematch), but it is rare for three former MPs to contest a single seat.


Pan-United Kingdom

The Conservatives stood in 647 constituencies; every seat in Great Britain except for the Speaker's seat, and 16 of the 18 Northern Ireland seats. UKIP stood in 624 seats (up from 572 in 2010). After nominations had closed and ballot papers were printed, the UKIP candidate in West Lancashire, Jack Sen, was suspended from the party for making an anti-Semitic tweet. By tradition, none of the major parties stand candidates against the speaker of the House of Commons (currently John Bercow). However, the Greens and UKIP stood candidates against the speaker.


Great Britain

The Conservatives, LabourAfter nominations had closed and ballot papers were printed, the Labour candidate in Banff and Buchan, Sumon Hoque, was suspended from the Labour Party when he was charged with multiple driving offences, and the Labour candidate in Wellingborough, Richard Garvie, was also suspended after a conviction for fraud and the Liberal Democrats stood in 631 seats in Great Britain (all save the Speaker's seat). The Greens across England, Scotland and Wales stood in 568 seats (up from 331 in 2010).Lucy Fisher
Greens to contest 95% of seats in England and Wales
''Times of London'' (April 10, 2015).
Among the minor parties: *The
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) is a socialist electoral alliance launched in Britain for the 2010 general election. TUSC's co-founder was the RMT union general secretary Bob Crow. Members of the PCS, NUT, FBU and POA unio ...
stood 135 candidates, including seven joint candidates with Left Unity. *The English Democrats, led by
Robin Tilbrook Robin C. W. Tilbrook (born 1958) is an English solicitor and political leader who chairs the English Democrats, a political party he founded. It advocates a devolved English Parliament, having previously advocated English independence from the ...
, stood 32 candidates. *
Cannabis is Safer than Alcohol Cannabis Is Safer Than Alcohol (CISTA) was a political party in the United Kingdom, which advocated the legalisation of cannabis. The party was launched in February 2015. The party fielded candidates in the 2015 general election, campaigning f ...
(Cista) stood 32 candidates (in London, Scotland, and Northern Ireland). *The Christian Peoples Alliance stood 17 candidates. *The
Monster Raving Loony Party The Official Monster Raving Loony Party (OMRLP) is a political party established in the United Kingdom in 1982 by the musician David Sutch, also known as "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", or simply "Lord Sutch". It is notable for its ...
, a parody party, stood 15 candidates. * Yorkshire First stood 14 candidates. *The
National Health Action Party The National Health Action Party (NHA) is a political party in the United Kingdom. The party grew out of the movement opposing the 2012 Health and Social Care Act. It campaigns for renationalisation of the privatised parts of the English Nat ...
(NHA) stood 13 candidates, all in England. *The
Socialist Party of Great Britain The Socialist Party of Great Britain (SPGB) is a socialist political party in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1904 as a split from the Social Democratic Federation (SDF), it advocates using the ballot box for revolutionary purposes and oppos ...
stood 10 candidates. *The Communist Party of Britain stood nine candidates. *The Christian Party (UK) stood nine candidates. *The British National Party stood eight candidates—many fewer than 2010, when it stood 338 candidates. * Mebyon Kernow stood candidates in all six constituencies in Cornwall, as they did in 2010. *
Pirate Party UK The Pirate Party UK (often abbreviated PPUK; in cy, Plaid Môr-leidr DU) was a political party in the United Kingdom. The Pirate Party's core policies were to bring about reform to copyright and patent laws, support privacy, reduce surveillance f ...
stood six candidates. *The Above and Beyond Party stood five candidates in England and Wales; its manifesto is almost exclusively aimed at creating a "
none of the above "None of the above" (NOTA), or none for short, also known as "against all" or a "scratch" vote, is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of the candidates in a voting system. ...
" option on all ballots for future general elections. * Respect Party stood in four seats, down from eleven in 2010. *The North East Party, formed in 2014 and led by former Labour MP
Hilton Dawson Thomas Hilton Dawson (born 30 September 1953) is a British politician who was the Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Lancaster and Wyre from 1997 until 2005. Dawson became the chairman of the North East Party in 2014, and was the par ...
, stood four candidates in
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 authorit ...
. *The Liberal Party, led by
Liverpool City Council Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It consists of 90 councillors, three for each of the city's 30 wards. The council is currently controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Mayor ...
member Steve Radford, stood four candidates.


Wales

The Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, UKIP and Plaid Cymru stood candidates across all 40 constituencies in Wales.


Scotland

A total of 346 candidates stood in Scotland's 59 constituencies. The SNP, Labour, Conservatives, and Liberal Democrats are standing candidates in every Scottish constituency; UKIP in 41; the Scottish Greens in 31; the Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition in 10, including one joint candidate with Left Unity;
Cannabis Is Safer Than Alcohol Cannabis Is Safer Than Alcohol (CISTA) was a political party in the United Kingdom, which advocated the legalisation of cannabis. The party was launched in February 2015. The party fielded candidates in the 2015 general election, campaigning f ...
in 8; the Scottish Socialist Party in four; the National Front and the
Scottish Christian Party The Christian Party (also the Scottish Christian Party and Welsh Christian Party ()) is a minor political party in Great Britain. History The party originated as Operation Christian Vote, founded by George Hargreaves, a Pentecostal minister and ...
in two, and the Scottish Communist Party, and the Socialist Equality Party in one each. There are also ten independent candidates standing for election in Scottish constituencies.


Northern Ireland

A total of 138 candidates stood in Northern Ireland's 18 constituencies.Election 2015: 138 candidates vying for 18 NI seats
BBC News (9 April 2015).
Sinn Féin, the SDLP and Alliance stood in all 18; the DUP in 16 (having made an electoral pact to support the UUP in two constituencies); the Conservatives in 16; the UUP in 15 (having made an electoral pact to support the DUP in two constituencies; they also did not stand in North Down against Sylvia Hermon); UKIP in ten; TUV in seven, the Greens in five, and the Workers' Party in five. Cannabis is Safer than Alcohol had 4 candidates and People Before Profit one. Five independent candidates stood in Northern Ireland, including incumbent Lady Hermon. In Northern Ireland, the fewest candidates in a constituency was five (in Fermanagh and South Tyrone and
Newry and Armagh Newry and Armagh can refer to: * Newry and Armagh (Assembly constituency) *Newry and Armagh (UK Parliament constituency) Newry and Armagh is a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is Mickey Brady o ...
); the most was 10 in North Down. Overall, women made up 25% of candidates in Northern Ireland. One constituency only had male candidates ( Belfast West), while only one constituency had more female than male candidates ( Fermanagh and South Tyrone). The DUP and UKIP (in Northern Ireland) had no female candidates.


Table


External links


List containing links to the 2015 general election manifestos of registered parties


Footnotes


References

{{2015 United Kingdom general election 2015 United Kingdom general election British political candidates