Simon Marcus Seema Kennedy | Seema Kennedy Alex Burghart | |
The Hampstead and Kilburn Conservative Party parliamentary primary of 2013 was the 1st open primary election used to select the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the constituency of Hampstead and Kilburn. The election was held on Wednesday 30 January 2013 under the first-past-the-post system. It was the third primary organised by a Conservative Association to select a PPC, after Totnes and Gosport. However, unlike previous primaries, voting took place at a public meeting rather than by postal ballot. The seat is also held by a Labour MP and is the Conservatives' number one target seat at the next election.
Contents
Background
At the 2010 general election, the incumbent MP Glenda Jackson retained her seat by just 42 votes, the closest margin in England out of all the election results in that election. However, in June 2011, she announced that she would retire from politics, presuming that the Coalition Government survived to 2015.
On 13 December 2012, the Hampstead and Kilburn Conservative Association announced that the selection of the party's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate would be opened up to the public, including those not affiliated with the Conservative Party. The three shortlisted candidates were announced on the same day.
During the campaign, the three candidates met with constituents at stalls to answer questions and raise awareness of the vote.
Candidates
Result
At a public meeting held at Hampstead Synagogue, Simon Marcus was selected as the PCC for Hampstead and Kilburn. The local Association estimated that over 200 people attended.
Aftermath
Labour held the seat at the 2015 election with an increased majority.