Female Tory candidates survives de-selection
A female prospective parliamentary candidate for the Conservative party last night survived a de-selection vote of no-confidence.
Following the two-hour meeting at her local Conservative association, Anne Jobson will go on to contest the Labour-held seat of Chatham & Aylesford in Kent.
Jonathan Shaw MP has a 4,340 majority in the constituency.
She is latest of a series of high profile women and gay candidates to face re-selection battles.
Sue Catling, a PPC in Calder Valley, Yorkshire, last month was removed after three selection battles with her party. She claims she was subjected to a campaign of “smears and vilification”.
Amanda Harland in Colne Valley, and Rachel Lake in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, have both complained of being subjected to a similar process.
But last night, deputy chairman Keith Ferrin, said Ms Jobson, a barrister, had been reselected.
“The members, having heard the case put, have by secret ballot decided that Anne should continue as the Conservative party candidate for Chatham & Aylesford,” he said.
“The membership is now solidly behind our candidate and the campaign to secure the seat.”
Ms Jobson had been charged with incompetence.
Theresa May, cabinet spokesman on the family, admitted talk of sexism had caused the Conservatives to suffer a “knock-back”.
It has also been claimed the constituency party in Falmouth & Cambourne, Cornwall, is bidding to oust PPC Ashley Crossley, a gay barrister, because of his sexuality.
Mr Crossley fought-off two previous bids to deselect him by local party chiefs.
Last week, Robert Oulds, Conservative parliamentary candidate for the seat of Slough, Berkshire, was suspended for posing with a number of “illegal” guns and rifles.
The central Conservative Party though re-iterates that it is determined to widen the appeal of its party and select a more diverse range of candidates.
