Tories have most ‘out’ candidates standing at General Election

The Conservatives will be fielding 37 out candidates in constituencies up and down the country, at the General Election on May 7.

ACCORDING to LGBTory, the Conservative Party LGBT Group, this will be the highest number of out candidates selected by any political party.

LGBTory Chairman Colm Howard-Lloyd, said: “This impressive number of candidates builds on the Conservative Party’s record of having more out MPs than the other major parties put together.

“We are pleased to have 12 out former MPs re-standing as well as to have selected gay candidates in winnable seats such as Bath, Blackpool South and North East Derbyshire.

“The Conservative-led government’s achievements on LGBT rights have been transformational with same-sex couples in England and Wales being able to marry from March last year.

“We have also seen £2 million distributed to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools as well as the law changed to allow gay men to apply for convictions for consensual gay sex to be disregarded. There is a pledge in the Conservative Party’s election manifesto to issue a pardon for historical gay sex convictions if elected in May.”

Out candidates have been selected in every region of Great Britain with LGBTory patron Ruth Davidson, MSP leading the Conservatives’ campaign in Scotland.

The Conservative candidates include:

• Stuart Andrew: Pudsey first elected in 2010

• Peter Anthony: Blackpool South

• Peter Bedford: Bolsover

• James Bellis: Vauxhall

• James Bird: Birmingham Hall Green

• Will Blair: Holborn and St. Pancras

• Crispin Blunt: Reigate first elected in 1997

• Nick Boles: Grantham and Stamford first elected in 2010

• Conor Burns: Bournemouth West first elected in 2010

• Cllr Chris Chapman: Ilford South

• Cllr Christopher Clarkson: Wallasey