Since 2009, the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom has experimented with the use of open primaries to select some parliamentary candidates.

The first primaries were held ahead of the 2010 general election. More than a dozen primaries were held ahead of the 2015 general election.

Selection committee The members of the selection committee are as follows: Ben ElliotChairman of the Board and co-chairman of the Conservative PartyRt Hon James Cleverly MPCo-chairman of the Conservative Party and deputy chairman of the BoardAndrew Sharpe OBEChairman of the National Conservative Convention and deputy chairman of the BoardUdi ShelegTreasurer of the Conservative PartyPamela HallPresident of the National Conservative ConventionJames PearsonVice President of the National Conservative ConventionAndrew Colborne-BaberVice President of the National Conservative ConventionPeter BoothVice President of the National Conservative ConventionAlan Mabbutt OBESenior member of the professional staff of the PartyCllr Mark Hawthorne MBEChairman of the Conservative Councillors' AssociationRobert Forman MBE WSChairman, Scottish Conservative & Unionist PartyByron DaviesChairman, Welsh ConservativesAnthea McIntyre MEPAppointed by the Leader pursuant to Rule 12.10The Baroness SaterAppointed by the Board pursuant to Rule 12.12Rt Hon Lord Hunt of Wirral MBEChairman, Association of Conservative PeersSir Graham Brady MPChairman, 1922 CommitteeCharles Walker OBE MP Elected by the 1922 CommitteeRt Hon Dame Cheryl Gillan DBE MP Elected by the 1922 CommitteeSir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MPElected by the 1922 CommitteeStephen Phillips OBESecretary to the Board

2010 general election Primaries were held in a few seats, including Oxford West and Abingdon, Totnes, Gosport and Bracknell.

Totnes

Totnes was the first constituency to use an open primary to select the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate. The election was held in August 2009 and saw a turnout of approximately 25%. Due to the success of this primary election, David Cameron announced that the system would be applied to other constituencies in future. Dr Sarah Wollaston, a general practitioner, was selected with 48% of the vote. Wollaston went on to be elected MP for Totnes at the 2010 general election.

Bracknell The Bracknell primary was held in October 2009, and was won by Phillip Lee. Other candidates included Rory Stewart (elected as MP for Penrith and the Border in 2010) and broadcaster Iain Dale.

Gosport

Gosport held an open primary to select a candidate to succeed Peter Viggers upon his retirement from Westminster. The election was held in December 2009. Caroline Dinenage, a local business owner and daughter of Fred Dinenage, was selected with 38% of the vote. Dinenage was elected MP for Gosport at the 2010 general election, with an increased majority.

Clacton by-election, 2014

The 2014 Clacton by-election, caused by the defection from the Conservatives of Douglas Carswell, a prominent advocate of open primaries, selected actor Giles Watling over Colchester councillor Sue Lissimore on 11 September.

Rochester and Strood by-election, 2014

The candidate for the 2014 Rochester and Strood by-election, caused by the defection from the Conservative Party of Mark Reckless to the UK Independence Party (UKIP), was chosen by a postal open primary.By-election update: All voters to get chance to have a say in choosing Tory successor to Mark Reckless in Rochester and Strood KentOnLine Kelly Tolhurst, a local councillor, narrowly won over fellow councillor Anna Firth. Tolhurst lost the by-election to Reckless, but later won the seat at the following year's general election. Firth would go on to become an MP succeeding Sir David Amess following his murder.

2015 general election

Constituency Main article Date of final selection Candidate chosen Conservative seat before election Candidate elected Berwick-upon-Tweed Feb 2013 Anne-Marie Trevelyan No Yes Boston and SkegnessBoston Standard, http://www.bostonstandard.co.uk/news/local/details-revealed-of-boston-and-skegness-conservative-party-s-open-primary-1-6340009 25 Oct 2014 Matt Warman Yes Yes Croydon South 12 Nov 2013 Chris Philp Yes Yes Hampstead and Kilburn 2013 Hampstead and Kilburn Conservative primary 30 January 2013 Simon Marcus No No Louth and HorncastleLouth Leader, http://www.louthleader.co.uk/news/local/breaking-victoria-atkin-selected-as-conservative-party-primary-candidate-to-succeed-sir-peter-tapsell-1-6205028 28 July 2014 Victoria Atkins Yes Yes Mid Worcestershire 22 November 2013 Nigel Huddleston Yes Yes North East Hampshire 17 November 2013 Ranil Jayawardena Yes Yes South East Cambridgeshire 7 December 2013 Lucy Frazer Yes Yes Tonbridge and Malling 2 November 2013 Tom Tugendhat Yes Yes Twickenham 5 September 2013 Tania Mathias No Yes Wealden 5 December 2013 Nus Ghani Yes Yes West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine 10 March 2014 Alexander Burnett No No Yeovil July 2013 Marcus Fysh No Yes

2019 general election Constituency Main article Date of final selection Candidate chosen Conservative seat before election Candidate electedGower 10 October 2019 Francesca O'Brien No No

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