If, under the ever-mounting pressure to do so, Andrew Turner decides to step down as nominated candidate for the Island Conservatives (or be de-selected tonight (Friday)), a replacement candidate for the 2015 General Election will need to be put in place.
Who’s on the Approved List?
The process of selecting a Conservative Party candidate is complex, so to short-cut that, you need to be aware that all people they’ve deemed appropriate to possibly be a Conservative MP are on a central ‘Approved List’.
From the research we’ve been able to carry out, OnTheWight understands at least two Isle of Wight Conservatives are on the ‘Approved List’.
They are:
- Isle of Wight councillor for Central Wight, Bob Seely
- Former political journalist and now Chief Executive of the Business Services Association, Mark Fox
All quiet
OnTheWight got in touch with Bob and Mark yesterday to see whether they would be interested in standing for the seat in May should they be nominated.
Both Conservatives are choosing to remain tight-lipped at the moment, perhaps awaiting the outcome of tonight’s meeting.
Update 26.Jan.15 – Mark called OnTheWight on another matter this morning. We asked him a number of times if he was on ‘The List’ and said he’d prefer not to be draw on it.
We’ve got another article coming this evening which details another name on the Approved List that has been whispered in our ears. He doesn’t live on the Island currently, but those within the Party tell OnTheWight he could be parachuted in.
No ministerial aspirations for Whitehouse
There was speculation that Andrew Turner’s media campaign manager and IW councillor for Newport West, Chris Whitehouse was still on the Approved List, but he confirmed to OnTheWight he was not.
In fact, he plans, he announced last spring in his Europe Day Speech (like us, you may have missed it), to leave politics behind soon, confirming he has no intention of standing again for the Isle of Wight Council in 2017.
26.Jan.15: Updated response (non-response?) from Mark Fox.
