TORIES CHOOSE LATEST HALF DOZEN

25-09-2007

Truck company owner Chris Kelly is the most high-profile name among a group of six Conservatives chosen to contest Parliamentary seats in the West Midlands at the next General Election. Kelly, a prolific letter writer to the local press, runs West Bromwich based Keltruck.

The Tories have 3 MPs in the region - Andrew Mitchell in Sutton Coldfield, Caroline Spelman in Meriden and Richard Shepherd in Aldridge-Brownhills - who are all standing for re-election.

Among those hoping to join them Kelly will present a stiff challenge in Dudley South to the incumbent Labour MP Ian Pearson who is defending a majority of less than 4,000. As a traditional tax-cutting right-winger, he's arguably more in tune with Black Country voters than David Cameron, but much will depend on the overall political mood at the time of the poll.

He can't be discounted and will make it a lively contest.

The others selected are:

John Perry, a local party activist (Dudley North) a seat held by Labour rising star Ian Austin. Under normal circumstances a majority in excess of 5,000 would look daunting, but the joker in the pack here is the BNP. Their candidate Simon Darby garnered in excess of 4,000 votes last time, while UKIP pulled in just under 2,000. If Perry can persuade some of these to switch sides and attract a few floating Lib Dems, he's got an outside chance.

Thelma Matuk (Walsall South) currently held with a whopping 7,000 plus majority by Labour's Bruce George. Matuk stood unsuccessfully in Eccles, Greater Manchester last time around and was heavily beaten. She's got local roots having trained as an accountant in Birmingham but she'll only be making up the numbers.

Helen Clack will be vying for Walsall North, held by another Labour stalwart David Winnick. Again, a 6,000 plus majority looks insurmountable.

John Wilford who runs Coleshill-based Rave Communications is having a shot at Wolverhampton North East, a solid Labour seat held by Ken Purchase. It briefly fell to the Tories in 1987, but Purchase won it back in 1992, and has an 8,000 plus majority.

Another company director Ken Wood completes the set. He's after Wolverhampton South East (ie Bilston) where junior minister and Brown favourite Pat McFadden has a 10,000 majority. 'Nuff said.