make an impact in the next Parliament. make inthenext animpact Our analysisofcandidateswhoarelikely to TO WATCH IN2020 CANDIDATES20 2019: ELECTION GENERAL

2019

GENERAL ELECTION 2019:

20 CANDIDATES TO WATCH IN 2020 2019

NAME: NAME: Alicia Kearns NAME: Anthony Browne CONSTITUENCY: CONSTITUENCY: Rutland and Melton CONSTITUENCY: South Cambridgeshire

Normally a safe constituency, Beaconsfield has Another prominent activist with a background in With a career that spans work as a journalist for The been more of a battleground this year owing international affairs, Alicia Kearns is a counter- Times, The Observer and the BBC, as well as a period to the deselection of long-serving MP Dominic terrorism expert and has been involved in hybrid as director of the think-tank Policy Exchange, as Grieve, who is now standing as an independent. warfare, counter-disinformation and counter- a lobbyist for Morgan Stanley, and as head of the The Conservatives have selected Joy Morrissey, an terrorism interventions in Lebanon, Morocco and British Bankers’ Association, Browne brings some Ealing councillor who stood for the Assembly the West Balkans. Her biography touts experience serious intellectual firepower to the Conservative and put herself forward as a potential candidate directing responses to prison riots, military ranks. A series of controversial remarks on issues such for Mayor of London. A popular and well regarded operations, murder investigations and geopolitical as race relations and HIV have done little to stop his campaigner, she is likely to be fast tracked to national crises across the Middle East. Like the constituency’s rise. A close associate of , having been prominence and with a background in international current incumbent, Sir Alan Duncan, who served as his policy director for economic development during development and humanitarian work as well as solid an International Development and Foreign Office his first term as London Mayor, and more recently a local government experience and an interest in social Minister for most of the last decade, expect Kearns Downing Street advisor, expect him to play a key role housing policy, she brings a diversity of skills and to quickly establish herself as an influential voice should the Conservatives remain in power. experience that should allow her to be successful within the Conservative parliamentary party on across a range of ministerial portfolios. issues around foreign policy, defence and international relations. GENERAL ELECTION 2019:

20 CANDIDATES TO WATCH IN 2020 2019

NAME: Danny Kruger NAME: Gagan Mohindra NAME: Dehenna Davison CONSTITUENCY: Devizes CONSTITUENCY: South West Hertfordshire CONSTITUENCY: Bishop Auckland

Another policy thinker who has long been Gagan Mohindra was selected to be the Conservative Bishop Auckland has come to have symbolic well regarded in Conservative circles, Kruger’s candidate for South West Hertfordshire, replacing importance at this election, representing the parliamentary career has undergone a rehabilitation David Gauke, who lost the whip in September for ‘red wall’ of seats in the North and Midlands that after he was sacked as a candidate in 2005 for voting against the Prime Minster’s revised Withdrawal the Conservatives will have to win to to secure a speaking beyond the party line on issues around Agreement. A councillor for Epping Forest District majority. Davison has a good shot at overturning the tax and public spending. A former speechwriter to Council since 2006, he is also cabinet member for incumbent MP’s majority of 502. She has a varied David Cameron, he joined DCMS to work on the finance, property and housing at Essex County career that spans working in restaurants, a betting Government’s Civil Society Strategy in 2018, founded Council, where he manages an expenditure budget shop and casino, retail and for a start-up, and she a rehabilitation charity and was appointed Boris of £2.5 billion. He also sits on the board of West Essex represents a newer generation of young, dynamic Johnson’s political secretary earlier this year. His Clinical Commissioning Group. With a strong interest and social media-savvy female candidates. With a policy interests span community cohesion, child in local government finance and project delivery, he deeply personal backstory underpinning a strong protection, educational opportunity and economic will bring a forensic and detailed oriented approach interest in justice policy, if she is successful her victory mobility. His addition to the Tory parliamentary party to parliamentary scrutiny and a role at HM Treasury, will be a strong contender for the Conservatives’ will doubtless reinforce their determine to undertake the Department of Health and Social Care, or DCLG highlight of the night. a programme of radical social reform. would be a natural fit in due course. GENERAL ELECTION 2019:

20 CANDIDATES TO WATCH IN 2020 2019

NAME: NAME: NAME: Stuart Anderson CONSTITUENCY: CONSTITUENCY: Arundel and South Downs CONSTITUENCY: Wolverhampton South West

If Bishop Auckland represents the Conservative and Not to be confused with Andrew Griffiths, the Burton A former army sniper who was told he would never Labour battleground in the North, then Guildford MP who is standing down following revelations walk unaided after being shot, Anderson not only is illustrative of the challenge that the Tories face about his personal life, Griffith is a close confident made a miraculous recovery but went on to become from the Liberal Democrats in the Remain voting of Boris Johnson. He missed out on a parliamentary a bodyguard, a businessman, a local councillor home counties. Having taken control of the local career under David Cameron, having stood for and the founder of a technology company. He is council in May, the Liberal Democrats is Corby in 2001 and 2005 before being replaced as now looking to overturn a 2,185 Labour majority to on their side in this seat. Add to that the former MP that constituency’s candidate by Louise Mensch, become the MP for Wolverhampton South West, a standing as an independent, then first who went on to win the seat in 2010. Currently Boris seat that hasn’t voted Tory since 1992. Anderson takes time candidate Angela Richardson has a fight on her Johnson’s chief business adviser, with a professional a different approach to community relations to that hands. However, like other candidates mentioned career spanning PWC, Rothschild and Just Eat, he of his Conservative predecessors who historically held here she is well regarded by CCHQ and has built up is a former Sky executive and lent his £9.5 million the seat, fasting alongside the Muslim community solid campaign experience over the last parliament. Westminster townhouse to Mr Johnson’s leadership for Ramadan and being visible as a prominent local She has a background in investment banking, having campaign during the summer. Serious and activist. It remains to be seen whether media stories worked in the City for Schroders and Axa Investment ambitious, Griffith is certain to wind up with a big about his business arrangements will harm his Managers. If elected, she is another who will rise role at some point in the next parliament. campaign, but perhaps more than anyone, Anderson through the ranks quickly. has the tenacity to breach Labour’s red wall. GENERAL ELECTION 2019:

20 CANDIDATES TO WATCH IN 2020 2019

NAME: NAME: Claudia Webbe NAME: Feryal Clark CONSTITUENCY: Sevenoaks CONSTITUENCY: Leicester East CONSTITUENCY: Enfield North

No one illustrates the Special Advisor to Parliament A favoured candidate of the Corbynistas, Webbe The of Hackney Council, Feryal career progression quite like Trott. An Oxford has been a member of the National Executive of Clark won selection by a substantial margin of graduate, she worked as a management consultant the Labour Party since 2016. Describing herself as a local activists over a trade union backed opponent. before a stint at the Cabinet Office and then “working class black woman from the East Midlands”, Described as being on the “moderate” wing of moved to Downing Street, where she was Director she is keen to strengthen the role of the trade the party, she has an impressive record in local of Strategic Communications. Awarded an MBE unions in the party. She has strong roots in local government, having been cabinet member for in David Cameron’s resignation honours, she was government, serving as a councillor in health, social care, leisure and parks in one of the pushed heavily by CCHQ for selection in target Islington, where she was portfolio holder for most deprived boroughs in the country. She has a constituencies and saw off competition from a local environment and transport. She was Ken strong interest in sustainable transport issues and candidate and a former MP to be adopted for the Livingstone’s policy and campaigns adviser during air pollution issues, through which she developed a safe seat of Sevenoaks. She was the driving force his time as Mayor of London. She headed Operation good working relationship with Andrew Gilligan, now behind the Government’s tax free childcare scheme, Trident, an advisory group set up to tackle the Boris Johnson’s transport advisor. If elected, she will and will be a strong advocate for women, education disproportionate effects of gun violence on black make history as the first female MP of Turkish origin, and childcare policies. communities, and will join the ranks of candidates but may find herself out of favour from a Labour prepared to think differently and more radically leadership that is more left-wing than her own views. about the problems of inner city deprivation. GENERAL ELECTION 2019:

20 CANDIDATES TO WATCH IN 2020 2019

NAME: NAME: James Murray NAME: Zarah Sultana CONSTITUENCY: Luton North CONSTITUENCY: Ealing North CONSTITUENCY: South

Selected to replace Kelvin Hopkins, who was A former housing policy advisor to , A former member of the National Executive of suspended following allegations about his personal Murray has been a councillor in Islington since 2006, Young Labour and the National Union of Students, conduct, Owen is bidding to become the first Labour where he was executive member for housing and Sultana is certain to be elected in a constituency MP of Chinese origin. Another new candidate with development for six years, before becoming Sadiq that voted 55% Labour at the last election. However, serious trade union connections, she is a GMB Khan’s Deputy Mayor for Housing. A proponent of she almost faced deselection due to media reports political officer and a member of Labour’s National social housebuilding programmes, he is an advocate about remarks where she said she would “celebrate Executive Committee. She contested Hastings and of tighter controls on buy-to-let landlords and a the death of ” and praised the right of Rye against Amber Rudd in 2015. She has previously more interventionist role for the state in the housing Palestinians to “violent resistance”. She has been been employed as a care worker, in local government market. Considered to be on the soft left of the under fire for her use of language that has been and for the London Fire Brigade, and will be another party, he enjoys a good relationship with the Labour perceived as anti-Semitic. Firmly on the left of the left-wing addition to the parliamentary Labour party, frontbench team and has a professional approach. Labour Party, she has described the right of the although one with a different perspective to that It would be a safe bet to predict that he will at some party as “scum”. Reflective of a generational change espoused by Momentum. point serve as Labour’s housing spokesperson. amongst Labour candidates towards those who are more ideological and uncompromising, she will make a mark in this parliament but perhaps for the wrong reasons. GENERAL ELECTION 2019:

20 CANDIDATES TO WATCH IN 2020 2019

NAME: James Cunningham NAME: NAME: Laura Gordon CONSTITUENCY: West Bromwich West CONSTITUENCY: Ilford South CONSTITUENCY: Sheffield Hallam

A controversial appointment, Cunningham’s Another Corbyn-backed candidate, Tarry was The loss of ’s seat in 2017, having retained selection was reportedly unpopular with some adopted for the ultra-safe Labour seat of Ilford South it in 2015, was a bitter blow to the Liberal Democrats, Labour members due to his links with Trotskyite following the controversial last minute suspension particularly as his replacement was not judged to group the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty, and of the leader of Redbridge Council, considered the have served the constituency well. Now hopeful of allegations of bullying behaviour. More recently frontrunner for the selection. As close to the Labour winning the seat back, the party has selected Laura he rose to prominence as a Momentum activist leadership as it is possible to get, but without the Gordon, a former civil servant at the Department in South and took a job as a Labour baggage of other Momentum candidates, he has for International Development. Her record as a community organiser, one of only two (alongside significant trade union backing. Tarry is another campaigner against tuition fees will no doubt help in Zarah Sultana) to be chosen as a candidate. It is not example of the generational and ideological change a constituency with a significant student population, clear yet whether the issues around his selection will in Labour candidates under Jeremy Corbyn, having and like many other Liberal Democrats she has an impact his campaign in what should now be seen as been president of the CLASS think-tank, a forum for international background, being born in Geneva. A a Conservative target, but if he is elected he will be debate and discussion of left-wing policy solutions. supporter of the coalition, which she believes curbed a prominent voice on the Labour benches, albeit An experienced campaigner with local government the excesses of a Conservative Government, she will one that may be too left-wing even for the current experience, he should have little difficulty in seeing bring seriousness, stability and moderation to the Labour leadership. off former Labour MP Mike Gapes, now contesting Liberal Democrat benches. the seat as an independent. GENERAL ELECTION 2019:

20 CANDIDATES TO WATCH IN 2020 2019

ANALYSIS

With a large number of long-serving MPs standing down at this election, and a significant number of seats expected to change hands, the next parliament will look markedly different to the current one. The new Conservative parliamentary party will be on and more loyal to Johnson, and a majority will give him a mandate to take the UK out the EU at the end of January and embark on an ambitious reform agenda. However, the election will not represent a fundamental shift to a more right-wing position or NAME: NAME: change then nature of the party. Many of the candidates in CONSTITUENCY: Twickenham CONSTITUENCY: St Albans winnable seats profiled here are long-serving activists who began their journey under David Cameron’s leadership. Selected to succeed in Twickenham A long-standing Liberal Democrat activist who stood In contrast, the new Labour parliamentary party will following his decision not to stand at this election, to be the party’s president in 2013, Cooper is, like see more of a change in the age profile and ideological Wilson is a councillor in the constituency and works Munira Wilson, a example of how local activism can position of their MPs, as their selection processes in a board level role as a Corporate Affairs Director act as a launchpad for national prominence. Having over the past few years reflect the success that Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters have had in tightening their grip for Merck Group. A school governor, she would be an stood in 2017, where she cut sitting MP ’s over the party. example of Liberal Democrat candidates progressing majority, polls suggest that St Albans will be the big Nonetheless, within the ranks of all three parties are to parliament having established themselves as Liberal Democrat gain of the night. Reflective of the some seriously impressive candidates. We anticipate assiduous local campaigners on the ground. Her Liberal Democrats’ reformist and internationalist that all of those profiled here will make their mark in policy interests of climate change, access to NHS outlook, she worked on Commonwealth issues for some way in the new parliament. care, opposing Heathrow expansion and protecting ten years, was Executive Director of the Hacked Off the rights of EU nationals will not only endear her press lobbying campaign, and is an advocate for George McGregor . to Liberal Democrat activists, but will play well human rights and LGBT issues. Expect her to be Managing Partner, Interel UK in a constituency that voted 67% Remain at the an advocate on issues such as reform of business Interel is one of London’s leading referendum. rates, saving community pubs and improvements to public affairs consultancies. To find out more about how we can support your commuter rail. public affairs needs, contact George McGregor on [email protected]. Greencoat House Francis Street Westminster, London SW1P 1DH

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