2019 General Election Candidates to watch
Cicero Group | December 2019
After December 12, our Parliament promises to be radically different from the previous ‘logjammed Parliament’. With 70 MPs standing down, it means that whatever the electoral outcome, it is already guaranteed that there will be a significant number of new personalities to engage with. The next Parliament also looks set to be our most diverse ever, with 34 per cent of candidates being women (up from 29 per cent in 2017) and, according to British Future, there will be 67 BAME MPs elected if each party were to win the constituencies they held in 2017. The Conservatives will be united on ‘getting Brexit done’ by the end of January. All 635 Conservative candidates standing at this election have pledged to vote to pass Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. One in particular to watch is Andrew Griffith, who was one of Johnson’s first appointments upon entering No.10, taking up a role as business adviser. Labour will be looking to maintain their ‘red wall’ in Leave-backing heartlands, but also to pick up seats where they can. The selection process has been as much about reshaping the Parliamentary Labour Party to more closely reflect the left-leaning leadership and membership. This is sure to guarantee a left-wing candidate on the ballot paper in a future leadership contest. As the Liberal Democrats face the squeeze between the Visit the Cicero elections site
two major parties, polling suggests an increase in vote share from 2017 will not necessarily result in a marked increase in their number of seats. However, there are clear opportunities to win seats in West London and Sheffield Hallam, which were lost in 2017. In Scotland, the SNP will be looking to recoup their losses from 2017. The party is sure to do well but it remains uncertain whether they will return to quite the heights of 2015. A particularly notable scalp would be East Dunbartonshire, the constituency held by Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson. We hope that you will find this selection of 30 candidates to watch a useful guide. We certainly look forward to seeing how many of our 30 selections make it to Westminster after December 12. Get in touch with a member of the UK Public Affairs team: Tom Frackowiak Managing Director - UK Public Affairs Tom.Frackowiak@cicero-group.com +44 (0)20 7297 5966 Raj Mandair Senior Account Manager Raj.Mandair@cicero-group.com +44 (0)20 3397 1874 1