Kemi Badenoch and Julian Ellacott: How we are building a new army of Conservative candidates

Last month, I wrote about the fundamental changes being made at CCHQ. Our objective: to create a new party, focused on winning elections and delivering conservatism across the UK again.

I asked members to write in and tell us more about the changes they wanted to see and I am grateful to the many people who have taken the time to get in touch. The responses and suggestions have been varied and detailed, and our party Chairman Nigel Huddleston is working through them and will write more on this shortly.

No surprises for guessing which subject has dominated those initial responses: candidates. So, today, along with our excellent Chairman of the National Convention Julian Ellacott, I want to let you know about the first big step we are taking to put members back at the heart of our party – and to get it back to winning again.

If we are to build an army that can be successful, we need to select candidates who can be champions for their local areas but who, in time, can serve in a radical, transforming government once again, too.

A new cadre of future Conservative MPs who really believe in less tax, less interference, less regulation and a government that does some things well, not lots of things badly. MPs who are going to hold the civil service to account, who are willing to change things, and who are willing to make difficult decisions amid the inevitable chorus of miserable left-wing opprobrium that the other side always uses to try to stop things. 

The first thing we need to build our new model army is a general – our new Chairman of the Conservative Candidates Committee. Over recent months, Julian has worked extremely hard, along with many other volunteers, to interview those who put their names forward for this important role (and a huge thank you to them all). To ensure no stone was left unturned in finding the best person for the role – in a break from the recent past – it was advertised openly, and generated a range of talented applicants.

After that comprehensive process, Julian and I are extremely pleased to now announce the appointment of the person who will build that new, conservative fighting force: Clare Hambro.

We know that part of rebuilding confidence in our party is to ensure that our mission is shared. Clare hasn’t just been part of our party in the good times; she has been a member for decades and has served the conservative cause as a campaigner, fundraiser, Association Chairman, Area Chairman and, most recently, Regional Chairman. Putting the members back at the heart of what we do means putting long-standing members at the heart of our party – and that is exactly why we have chosen Clare.

She has told us about her vision for candidates and learning from what hasn’t worked in the past. Clare recognises how important it is that members have a proper say in candidate selection in the future and she knows how important it is that we get this right. We want to show that being a Conservative means something; unlike other parties, we aren’t just a one-man show that dictates who is, or isn’t, in vogue today.

We can now start building up our candidate processes once again. Clare is undertaking a rapid review of how to best proceed and will report back to us by the end of May. One of her first jobs will be to run the selection processes for potentially six mayoral candidates who may be selected in readiness for the 2026 local elections.

Over the coming months, Clare will lead the charge in creating a new army of conservative candidates. We have asked her to prioritise four Cs – communication, charisma, cleverness and, most of all, conservatism.  We know that we have to get on with the process, which we will do by opening the candidates list later this year.

Getting this right won’t be easy. We know that everyone, rightly, has a view about the candidate process. For historic reasons, trust in the system and the centre is low. Along with Clare, we want to rebuild that. Members need more confidence in the process and to see that our collective job is to get the right people advocating for conservatism in our communities once again. 

We hope you will join us in welcoming Clare to her new position and supporting her as she begins the task of building a new army to beat Labour. This is a first step in a very long road to rebuilding our party. It is also a job with the most profound responsibilities; one which is an absolute foundation in making a more conservative country in the future. There is so much to do – and we look forward to working with Clare to make it happen.