Tory group leader accuses party of overlooking female candidates

The Conservative group leader at Stratford-on-Avon District Council has accused her party of overlooking women during its process for selecting general election candidates.

Sarah Whalley-Hoggins told the BBC that local members did not know who was on the three-person shortlist “until we walked thorough the door on Monday night”.

She added that women who had “settled and made a name for themselves locally have been overlooked” across the country.

The Conservative Party has been approached for comment.

Former Tory MP Chris Clarkson was picked as the party’s candidate in Stratford-on-Avon on Monday.

Two men and one woman were put forward by Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) and Mr Clarkson won in a ballot of local members.

Stratford-on-Avon has been solid territory for the Conservatives for decades, with the former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi holding the seat since 2010.

But Mr Zahawi decided to stand down barely a month ago. He had been sacked as Conservative Party chairman by the prime minister over a tax issue in January 2023.

The party’s normal selection process has been shortened during the election campaign, with Conservative association members asked to pick from shortlists of three names.

Ms Whalley-Hoggins said due process according to party rules was followed, but said she was “disappointed that we only had three candidates imposed on us”.

Other parties – including Labour – are also understood to be bypassing their normal rules for candidate selection outside of a election campaign, with nominations for Parliament’s 650 seats set to close on Friday.

Ms Whalley-Hoggins is the first female Conservative group leader on the district council and was first elected as a councillor for Brailes and Compton in 2019.

She said: “I’m appalled by how women candidates and potential candidates have been treated throughout this process and throughout the country.

“The best female candidates have been kept away from shortlists.

“I’d be interested to know how many women were involved in allocating candidates to the seats.

“High-calibre candidates have been overlooked for a reason. I’m tired of women being treated so shabbily.”

In a statement, Stratford Conservatives said: “The selection process is run by Conservative Central Office, and all associations follow the same procedures.

“Stratford Conservative Association was presented with a list of three potential candidates, as per the process that has been in place for many years.

“We cannot comment on how many candidates applied for this seat and would suggest any procedural questions are addressed by Central Office.”

While the approaches for naming candidates differ between the Conservatives and Labour, both would have involved greater input by local associations or constituency parties outside election periods.

Research by the House of Commons Library says 33.8% of all candidates standing at the 2019 general election were women.

Following that election, 220 of the 650 seats in Parliament were held by female MPs.

We will not know the total number of women and men who have been put forward as candidates by the parties until nominations close.

Famously the birthplace of William Shakespeare, Stratford is a relatively affluent town in south Warwickshire.

Mr Zahawi won with a comfortable majority of 19,972 at the last election in 2019.

But with him stepping down, the Liberal Democrats have high hopes of taking the seat, especially after winning control of Stratford-on-Avon District Council last year.

The other candidates standing are Manuela Perteghella for the Lib Dems, James Crocker for Reform UK, Seyi Agboola for Labour, Sherron Marie-Louise Guise for the Green Party, and Neil O’Neil for NONPOL.

A full list of candidates will be published by the BBC after nominations close on 7 June.