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21/08/2006
'More female MPs' for Conservatives
Conservative leader David Cameron has announced plans to increase the number of female parliamentary candidates in the party.
Under the new arrangements, two of the final four candidates short-listed for each constituency will have to be women.
Mr Cameron also said that the proportion of women on his priority list of 150 candidates from 50% to nearly 60%.
Announcing the plans, Mr Cameron said: "In my leadership campaign, I said we had to end the scandal of women's under-representation in the Conservative Parliamentary Party. The conversation inside our party must be closer to the conversation in our country: more female Conservative MPs will lead to better policies and a party that is more in touch with modern Britain."
Mr Cameron said that a number of steps had been take to improve the party's candidate selection process, in order to increase the proportion of women candidates, as well as candidates from black and minority ethnic communities and candidates with disabilities. The progress was then reviewed after three months.
Mr Cameron said: "Our review has shown that the steps we have taken so far have been relatively successful. But we need to go further, and we need to go faster. I want to see more women candidates selected, and I want to see them selected on merit - through a proper, professional process that accurately assesses all the skills needed to be a successful member of Parliament in the twenty-first century."
Since Mr Cameron became party leader, seven out of the 22 candidates selected have been women, while two were from ethnic minorities.
The plans are opposed by some female Conservative MPs, including former minister Ann Widdecombe, who described all-women shortlists as an "insult", suggesting that such short-lists would create "two classes" of women in Parliament.
Responding to the announcement, Chief of Staff to Sir Menzies Campbell, Norman Lamb, said: "This is yet another Cameron initiative of style over substance. All parties have an obligation to seek to increase the representation of women and ethnic minorities in Parliament. But if David Cameron is relying on the Tory grassroots to bring about this change, he is likely to be disappointed.
"From what we have seen of his proposals, he may beg Tory constituency associations to select more women, but he is not going to offer them any direct incentive to do so."
(KMcA)
Under the new arrangements, two of the final four candidates short-listed for each constituency will have to be women.
Mr Cameron also said that the proportion of women on his priority list of 150 candidates from 50% to nearly 60%.
Announcing the plans, Mr Cameron said: "In my leadership campaign, I said we had to end the scandal of women's under-representation in the Conservative Parliamentary Party. The conversation inside our party must be closer to the conversation in our country: more female Conservative MPs will lead to better policies and a party that is more in touch with modern Britain."
Mr Cameron said that a number of steps had been take to improve the party's candidate selection process, in order to increase the proportion of women candidates, as well as candidates from black and minority ethnic communities and candidates with disabilities. The progress was then reviewed after three months.
Mr Cameron said: "Our review has shown that the steps we have taken so far have been relatively successful. But we need to go further, and we need to go faster. I want to see more women candidates selected, and I want to see them selected on merit - through a proper, professional process that accurately assesses all the skills needed to be a successful member of Parliament in the twenty-first century."
Since Mr Cameron became party leader, seven out of the 22 candidates selected have been women, while two were from ethnic minorities.
The plans are opposed by some female Conservative MPs, including former minister Ann Widdecombe, who described all-women shortlists as an "insult", suggesting that such short-lists would create "two classes" of women in Parliament.
Responding to the announcement, Chief of Staff to Sir Menzies Campbell, Norman Lamb, said: "This is yet another Cameron initiative of style over substance. All parties have an obligation to seek to increase the representation of women and ethnic minorities in Parliament. But if David Cameron is relying on the Tory grassroots to bring about this change, he is likely to be disappointed.
"From what we have seen of his proposals, he may beg Tory constituency associations to select more women, but he is not going to offer them any direct incentive to do so."
(KMcA)
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