UK: Tory Party yet to find 150 candidates after MP exodus

UK's Conservative Party is still short ofcandidates to stand in approximately 150 constituencies, the party admitted.

A source pointed out that the party had candidates ready for three-quarters of the seats in Great Britain. This translates to 474 out of 632 seats, leaving 158 seats yet to be filled. Typically, the party does not field candidates in Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, the deadline for candidates to be nominated is June 7, signifying the party has less than a fortnight to fill all the vacancies.

The task is more challenging because a significant number of Tories have recently announced they will not be standing at the election.

The number of Tory MPs stepping down has now exceeded the Conservative Party record of 75 set in 1997. A total of 78 Tories have so far announced that they will leave the parliament in this election.

According to a Tory source, “The Conservative Party is prepared, with three-quarters of seats already selected with excellent Conservative candidates.”

James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, addressed the issue of the many unselected candidates on Sky News on Sunday (May 26) morning. He stated, "The selection process has been ongoing. In many places, the selections are just about to take place."

“I’ve been chairman of the party, you always have to do selections right up until the last minute. There is nothing particularly unusual about that,” Cleverly added.

“We have many candidates left to select, and we have a fantastic pool to choose from.”

When asked why Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had called the general election without having selected all its candidates, Cleverly said, “We’ve seen inflation return to normal, we’ve seen the economic indicators heading in the right direction. We are now in a position to demonstrate that our plan is working.”

“There are always going to be pros and cons for any timing of an election. I’d much rather be campaigning in the early spring than the late autumn,” he further added.

“And we are ready to make this bold move because we are certain of our offer to the British people.”

(With inputs from agencies)