Category Archives: Selection news

Eastleigh by-election

By Mary Reid | Tue 5th February 2013 - 12:29 pm

The party has moved swiftly to prepare for the by-election in Eastleigh, following Chris Huhne’s resignation.

Applications are being sought for potential candidates, with a closing date of 6pm on Wednesday 6th February. You are warned: “In order to be eligible to apply, applicants need to make sure they are on the Party’s list of Approved Candidates at the closing date for applications.”

Approved candidates will have already received the necessary documents and application form.

Tagged eastleigh | 28 Comments

Positive action for women on Westminster shortlists

By NewsHound | Fri 7th December 2012 - 1:52 pm

The English Candidates Committee (ECC) has decided to retain positive action measures to address the under-representation of women in the Parliamentary Party.

Clause 24 in the Westminster Rules for Selection of Parliamentary Candidates stipulates that where the ECC has decided to adopt positive action arrangements which affect a shortlist, those arrangements shall be observed by the Returning Officer and shortlisting committee as if they were contained in this Rule.

The provision is that:

In strategic seats and aspiring strategic seats (those that have ‘opted up’ to the full selection process):

a shortlist of three candidates must contain a minimum of one woman

a shortlist of

…

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Also posted in News and Party policy and internal matters | Tagged candidate selection rules, diversity and english party | 35 Comments

George Selmer selected for Lib Dems in Middlesbrough

By Helen Duffett | Mon 29th October 2012 - 3:24 pm

Middlesbrough Liberal Democrats have selected a local jobs expert as their candidate for the upcoming Parliamentary by-election in the constituency.

George Selmer, who grew up and went to school in Middlesbrough, has outlined his plan for the town – focusing on jobs, housing and safeguarding local facilities under threat from Labour cuts.

Commenting on his selection, George said:

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Also posted in Parliamentary by-elections | Tagged george selmer, ian swales and middlesborough | 2 Comments

Marisha Ray selected for Lib Dems in Croydon North

By Helen Duffett | Wed 17th October 2012 - 11:13 pm

The Liberal Democrats have tonight selected Marisha Ray as Parliamentary Candidate for the Croydon North by-election, caused by the death of Malcolm Wicks MP.

Marisha, a married mother of one, is a former IT professional. She spent much of her childhood with close family friends in Croydon. Marisha served as a councillor in Islington between 2002 and 2010, and was an executive member with special responsibility for tackling crime (2006-08), implementing a groundbreaking gang prevention strategy.

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Also posted in Parliamentary by-elections | Tagged croydon north, islington council, malcolm wicks and marisha ray | 10 Comments

Hello again Sandy, farewell Ed and David – Parliamentary selection news

By Mark Pack | Sat 13th October 2012 - 10:50 am

Three pieces of news on the selection front for the 2015 general election: congratulations to Sandy Walkington, reselected from a field of five in St Albans, and farewell to Ed Fordham and David Rendel, who have decided they won’t go for re-selection in, respectively, Hampstead & Kilburn and Newbury.

Tagged david rendel, ed fordham and sandy walkington | 1 Comment

Another Liberal Democrat PCC candidate is announced

By Mark Valladares | Fri 28th September 2012 - 3:22 pm

Norfolk Liberal Democrats have announced that James Joyce will be their candidate for the election of the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner on November 15th.

James Joyce is currently a district and county councillor. He represents the Eynesford Ward on Broadland Council and the Reepham Division on Norfolk County Council. Since 2005 he has represented the latter body as a member of the Norfolk Police Authority but he will be stepping down from this position in order to contest the election.

Commenting on his adoption, which follows a ballot of all Liberal Democrat members in Norfolk, Mr Joyce said:

“I am delighted …

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Also posted in News | Tagged elected police commissioners, james joyce and norfolk | 3 Comments

Timetable for selecting Euro candidates (England)

By Mark Pack | Tue 18th September 2012 - 7:50 am

European Parliament building

17 September
Deadline for shortlists to be notified to applicants and to the Senior Returning Officer.

17 September – 3 October
Period to resolve any appeals.
Candidates shortlisted in more than two Regions to choose two.

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Tagged european parliament | Leave a comment

Police and Crime Commissioner elections: where the Lib Dems are standing

By Mark Pack | Sat 1st September 2012 - 9:25 am

Although the party has been warming to fighting the Police and Crime Commissioner elections, estimates as to how many Liberal Democrat candidates there will be in the November contests vary hugely.

So here’s a first attempt from me to track the answer comprehensively, based primarily on the adverts which have so far appeared inviting people to apply for the selection in particular contests. As a result, the list will (so far) miss out some areas where the party has 100% decided to contest the election but an advert has …

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Tagged elected police commissioners | 17 Comments

European Parliament selections: time is running out to get your application in

By Mark Valladares | Fri 20th July 2012 - 8:22 am

The Senior Returning Officer, Jonathan Davies, has asked us here at Liberal Democrat Voice Towers to pass on a message on behalf of Chairs of Shortlisting Committees in Scotland and the English Regions.

And I paraphrase just a bit…

If you want to be a contender, don’t forget that the deadline for applications is 6 p.m. on Friday 27 July

So don’t…

* Mark Valladares is Chair of the Shortlisting Committee for the East of England, and can assure you that he and his colleagues are gentle people who really like applicants, really we do…

Also posted in Europe / International and News | Tagged european parliament | Leave a comment

Selection of European Parliamentary candidates for 2014

By Jonathan Davies | Fri 6th July 2012 - 9:22 am

The English and Scottish Liberal Democrats are now inviting applications for selection for the Liberal Democrat Party lists for the English Regions and for Scotland for the next European Parliamentary elections (which take place in 2014). The formal advert has been published in Liberal Democrat News. The closing date for applications is 6 p.m. on Friday 27 July.

Potential applicants should contact the Returning Officer for the region(s) in which they are interested for an application pack. Applicants can apply for as many Regions as they wish, but must obtain a separate application pack and submit a separate application to …

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Also posted in Europe / International, News and Party policy and internal matters | Tagged european elections | 2 Comments

Do you want to be a candidate in the UK’s next national elections?

By Margaret Joachim and Jonathan Davies | Thu 31st May 2012 - 10:23 am

The selection process for our candidates for the 2014 European Parliamentary elections is now starting. The formal advert will be published next month, and the closing date for applications is likely to be 20 July.

All applicants must be approved European candidates by the date of the close of applications.

Anyone interested in being a candidate should apply for approval as soon as possible – you can get the necessary application pack from the Candidates’ Office at Party HQ: email [email protected] Candidates who have been approved for Westminster elections but not for European elections need to undertake a brief Euro assessment/conversion …

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Also posted in Europe / International | Tagged european parliament | 2 Comments

Choosing the best team for Europe

By Margaret Joachim and Jonathan Davies | Tue 3rd April 2012 - 3:15 pm

The Party in England will select our candidates for the next European Parliamentary elections later this year. Although the elections are not until 2014, having candidates in place eighteen months before the elections will allow them to play a leading role in the formulation of the campaign strategy, as well as starting to campaign across the Euro Regions.

As with all selections, our candidates are chosen in a ballot of all Party members. This ballot also determines the order in which candidates appear on the list. For the Euro elections, there will be a postal ballot which is likely to take place in November. Before the ballot, all members will have the opportunity to meet the candidates at a series of hustings, most of which will probably take place at the autumn regional conferences. The candidates will also be using their best campaigning endeavours to contact members.

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Also posted in Europe / International and News | Tagged european parliament | 1 Comment

European candidate selections: is that the time already?

By Mark Valladares | Tue 3rd January 2012 - 7:25 pm

News has reached your reporter that, in a radical break with tradition, the English Candidates Committee is likely to meet later this month to address key questions relating to the selection of European Parliamentary candidates for elections due in May 2014, where Liberal Democrats will be defending seats held in each of the nine English Regions (two in South East England) and in Scotland.

Radical, because the Committee usually only meets four times a year, with the first meeting at the Spring Federal Conference, and the newly elected Chairs …

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Also posted in News | Tagged candidate selection rules and european elections | 1 Comment

Liberal Democrats decide to pass up on fighting Police Commissioner elections (mostly)

By Mark Pack | Thu 27th October 2011 - 7:43 pm

The Liberal Democrat Federal Executive (FE) decided this week that the federal party will not be providing any financial backing to Liberal Democrats wishing to stand for election as Police Commissioners. The expectation is that instead the party will end up backing independent candidates, although it has been made clear that local areas can decide to field candidates if they wish to – albeit without any financial backing from the central party.

The strong preference given, however, is for Liberal Democrats to back independent candidates. As FE chair and Party President Tim Farron wrote to regional parties:

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Also posted in News and Party policy and internal matters | Tagged elected police commissioners, federal executive, policing and tim farron | 35 Comments

Police and Crime Commissioners: Lib Dem candidates start here

By Helen Duffett | Fri 15th July 2011 - 9:26 am

The Liberal Democrats are inviting potential candidates for the new Police and Crime Commissioner posts, which, if the legislation is passed, are expected to be elected in May 2012.

The party wants to encourage the widest possible range of applicants so the membership can select from the best possible choice of candidates.

So if you’re interested in applying, you need to be an approved Parliamentary candidate:

The Bill to create directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners is currently before Parliament. The first elections of Police and Crime Commissioners are expected in May 2012.

The English Regional Parties will be inviting applications to be candidates

…

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Also posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged elected police commissioners, featured and policing | 19 Comments

Liberal Youth Scotland’s Sophie Bridger to fight Inverclyde for the Liberal Democrats

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 14th June 2011 - 6:49 pm

Liberal Youth Scotland President Sophie Bridger has been selected as the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate to fight the Inverclyde by-election, caused by the sad death of Labour MP David Cairns last month. The by-election takes place on 30th June.

Sophie, who’s 20, is studying Psychology at Glasgow University. Sophie has campaigned with Liberal Youth Scotland on issues such as equal marriage, a fair deal for students and increased powers for the Scottish parliament.

Sophie was a key member of Katy Gordon’s campaign team in Glasgow North last year and stood herself in Glasgow …

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Also posted in News and Parliamentary by-elections | Tagged inverclyde, Jo Swinson, katy gordon, liberal youth scotland, sophie bridger and willie rennie | 12 Comments

You! Yes, you! Ever thought about being a Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate?

By Mark Valladares | Sun 29th May 2011 - 1:57 pm

At March’s Federal Conference, a motion was passed setting up the new Candidate Leadership Programme, designed specifically to identify and develop candidates from currently under-represented groups (i.e. everyone other than white men).

Candidates will be given structured support, development and training all the way through to the General Election, and it is particularly aimed at those wanting to take part in competitive seat selections. Further information and application packs will be available from late June.

So, what’s the hurry, I hear you ask? The catch is, you’ve got to be an approved candidate to get a place, and if you aren’t …

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Also posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged diversity and equalities | 26 Comments

Timetable for selecting London Mayor candidate published

By Mark Pack | Sun 29th May 2011 - 9:54 am

Readers of the week’s Liberal Democrat News will have seen the advert kicking off the party’s candidate selection for the Mayor of London. The planned timetable is:

June 17 Close of applications

July 3 Interviews and shortlisting

July 11 Deadline for appeals

July 11 Deadline for candidates to submit manifestos

July 12 Publication of shortlist

July 18 Postal ballot mailed out to members in London

July 25-29 Hustings meeting

August 10 Deadline for returning ballot papers

August 12 Count and declaration of result

Also posted in London | 3 Comments

Dominic Carman withdraws from Lib Dem London Mayoral candidate race

By Helen Duffett | Mon 28th March 2011 - 8:12 am

In a comment on Lib Dem Voice this morning, Dominic Carman has said that he no longer intends to put his name forward as Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor.

Carman, who last week expressed an interest in standing, now plans to back Mike Tuffrey instead, whom members are lobbying to stand.

Dominic’s comment in fulll:

Given other commitments, I have reached the conclusion that I cannot financially afford to run an effective campaign as the Lib Dem candidate for Mayor. Regrettably, I will therefore not be putting my name forward when the selection procedure formally restarts in May. Having spoken

…

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Also posted in London | Tagged dominic carman, london mayoral selection and mike tuffrey | 7 Comments

Parmjit Singh Gill withdraws as Lib Dem candidate for Leicester South

By Helen Duffett | Wed 23rd March 2011 - 12:34 pm

Liberal Democrat candidate for the forthcoming Leicester South by-election, Parmjit Singh Gill, has announced he is to stand down. He will be replaced by Zuffar Haq.

Commenting, Parmjit Singh Gill said:

Given much reflection and after talking with my family, it is with regret that I have decided to stand down as a candidate for the by-election.

I remain committed to the people of Leicester and am proud to represent the Liberal Democrats, but I have a very young family and I fear the toll that fighting the by-election with all the commitment and dedication it deserves would be too much.

I

…

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Also posted in News | Tagged leicester south by-election, parmjit singh gill and zuffar haq | 7 Comments

Parmjit Singh Gill selected for Lib Dems in Leicester South

By Helen Duffett | Sat 19th March 2011 - 9:25 am

Leicester South Liberal Democrats last night selected Parmjit Singh Gill as their candidate for the Leicester South by-election, at a hustings in the constituency.

Gill was previously the MP for Leicester South from 2004 to 2005, having gained the seat from Labour in the 2004 by-election.

Current MP Sir Peter Soulsby (Labour) is resigning so that he can stand to be Leicester’s first elected mayor.

Commenting on his selection Parmjit Singh Gill said,

It’s an honour and privilege to be selected to fight Leicester South for the Liberal Democrats. Only last May the Labour MP convinced constituents that he was committed to

…

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Tagged leicester south by-election, parmjit singh gill and peter soulsby | 12 Comments

Dominic Carman selected as Liberal Democrat candidate for Barnsley Central by-election

By Helen Duffett | Sat 12th February 2011 - 4:37 pm

Barnsley Liberal Democrats today selected Dominic Carman as their candidate for the March 3 Barnsley Central Parliamentary by-election, at a hustings in the constituency.

Carman, son of the late George Carman QC, and biographer of BNP leader Nick Griffin, previously stood for the Lib Dems in Barking, East London at the 2010 General Election.

The by-election was caused by the resignation of the constituency’s MP, Eric Illsley, who has now been jailed for 12 months for fraudulently claiming more than £14,000 in Parliamentary expenses.

Commenting, Dominic …

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Also posted in News and Parliamentary by-elections | Tagged barnsley central by-election, dominic carman, eric illsley and mps expenses | 22 Comments

London Liberal Democrats announce GLA shortlist for 2012

By Helen Duffett | Tue 19th October 2010 - 11:09 am

London Region Liberal Democrats have announced the candidates for the London Assembly top-up list for the 2012 election. The shortlist is now final and London members will now be issued with a ballot to place the candidates in order of preference.

The candidates, in alphabetical order, are:

Jeremy Ambache (M)
Steve Bradley (M)
Emily Davey (F)
Merlene Emerson (F)*
Bridget Fox (F)
Stephen Knight (M)
Ajmal Masroor (M)*
Caroline Pidgeon (F)
Marisha Ray (F)*
Nick Russell (M)
Shas Sheehan (F)*

Those marked with an asterisk are Black and Minority Ethnic for the purpose of the ethnic preference rule.

There will not be a ballot for the Mayoral candidate for the time being. …

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Also posted in London | Tagged london assembly | 24 Comments

Willie Rennie plans political comeback

By The Voice | Wed 29th September 2010 - 8:58 pm

One of the (many) disappointing moments from the general election was the defeat of Willie Rennie, the Lib Dem by-election victor in the famous 2006 Dunfermline contest. He was subsequently appointed a government special advisor in the Scottish Office.

Well now he’s back in the saddle of elected politics again. Here’s how the Dunfermline Press reports it:

Local members put Mr Rennie in prime position to win one of seven places as a list MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, which covers all of Fife and parts of Clackmannanshire, Perthshire and Stirling.

He secured first place ahead of Fife councillor Tim

…

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Tagged willie rennie | 7 Comments

Who will be the Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor?

By Mark Pack | Mon 6th September 2010 - 10:26 am

Yesterday London Region chair Jonathan Fryer outlined the timetable for selecting the party’s London Assembly and Mayor candidates. But who will be in the running to be the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London?

As previously covered, Lembit Opik has publicly declared his intention to go for the selection. Regular readers of this site will have seen how controversial that is amongst many Liberal Democrat members (along with other commenters on this site). He has some keen fans along with many ardent critics. The number of fans of his Mayor selection bid page on Facebook has moved up only …

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Also posted in London | Tagged brian paddick, floella benjamin, lembit opik and susan kramer | 38 Comments

Team London: selections open

By Jonathan Fryer | Sun 5th September 2010 - 5:27 pm

Applications are now invited from potential LibDem Mayoral and Assembly (GLA) list candidates for London, which will hold its next round of city-wide elections in 2012. Interested individuals can request an application pack from the Returning Office, Patrick Mitchell, at [email protected] or 6 Palfrey Place, London SW8 1PA. Completed applications must be received by 24 September.

London has benefited from a big influx of new members over recent months – by far the biggest growth of any UK region. Moreover, London Liberal Democrats have moved campaigning and capacity up several notches with the launch of Team London, a new approach to …

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Also posted in London | 15 Comments

Lembit for London campaign watch

By Mark Pack | Mon 30th August 2010 - 12:28 pm

Contradictory news from Facebook about the state of Lembit Opik’s campaign to become the Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor. The number of fans of his campaign page is now up to 178. However, although his campaign says the page is “the main point of contact for those involved in the campaign to win the nomination”, the last update from the campaign team on the wall is now looking rather dated, having been posted on 18 July.

Also posted in London | Tagged lembit opik | 5 Comments

Lembit for London campaign watch

By Mark Pack | Mon 23rd August 2010 - 3:26 pm

Lembit Opik’s plans to run for London Mayor have been widely trailed for some time and the man himself has taken steps such as a lengthy interview on London’s LBC radio station with Conservative blogger Iain Dale. His campaign for the Liberal Democrat selection has provoked many negative responses from Liberal Democrat members (such as in previous coverage on this site). The most vocal are not always the most representative, however, so a relevant extra piece of evidence is how the Lembit Opik for London Mayor Facebook page does.

Lembit’s own campaign describes the page as “the main point of …

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Also posted in London | Tagged lembit opik | 25 Comments

Edinburgh Northern and Leith: Scottish Parliament candidate selection

By Helen Duffett | Thu 5th August 2010 - 5:20 pm

There’s still time to apply for selection as the prospective Scottish Parliamentary Candidate for the Edinburgh Northern and Leith constituency for the 2011 election.

From a party notice:

The Liberal Democrats won around 11,000 votes across the constituency area during the May 2010 Westminster elections. The constituency also includes part or all of four local government wards, each of which has an elected Lib Dem councillor.

The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate an ability to motivate a large and growing group of activists, and form and lead an effective campaign team, in a Local Party which has extensive

…

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Also posted in Scotland | Tagged edinburgh northern and leith | 1 Comment

Female MPs: how’s the party doing?

By Mark Pack | Fri 12th March 2010 - 4:54 pm

We’ve twice covered the question of gender balance in (Westminster) politics in recent days with the challenge from the Fawcett Society What about women? and Dinti Batstone’s call to Make politics fit women’s lives, not vice-versa.

With party conference in Birmingham about to start, we now have the latest figures on how the party is doing at getting a less male-dominated Parliamentary party. The Campaign for Gender Balance reports:

Winnable seats: approximately 40% of our most winnable seats have women PPCs.
Held seats: 4 out of the 8 seats that have MPs standing down have selected women.

The last point is particularly important as, …

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Tagged campaign for gender balance | Leave a comment