Labour candidate selection races ahead of Tories
1 min read
Labour is well ahead of the Conservative party when it comes to selecting candidates for the next general election.
A source at Conservative Central Office told Sky News that the process for starting selections had barely begun.
Another Conservative source said "Labour are really stealing a march on us here".
"This bank holiday weekend you've got scores of prospective Labour candidates knocking on doors, introducing themselves as their next MP. Where are ours?"
Labour has selected more than 50 candidates for target seats at the next election.
Judith Wallace, a Tory councillor in North Tyneside, said that the biggest thing Conservative Campaign Headquarters could do to help the party win marginals is to "select candidates earlier".
She said: "It's so important that they're there before the general election period. People can see them, get to know them and then they don't feel candidates have just been parachuted into the local area."
Conservative MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan said the reason the Tories hadn't put more emphasis on it was simple: "The Labour Party as the opposition party is, quite rightly, expecting and wanting there to be an election at any time and so are making selections. I think it's fair to say we do not expect or want an election until 2022.
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