Simon Jones - new website

Simon has got his website up and running now. Go take a look at http://www.jonesvision.co.uk/. We will add this on to the links on the right hand side shortly. This is a phase 1 version, so keep going in to see how it progresses and how Simon is getting on in the area.

If you wish to get more involved, Simon is looking for individuals to become a part of his campaign team. If you have a flair for designing leaflets, or if you want to get involved in helping to fundraise for his campaign, or just want to get involved in some shape or form please contact either me chairman@haveringconservativefuture.com, or contact him directly via his website.

Dagenham and Rainham Selection

Last night the Dagenham and Rainham Open Primary took place.

Congratulations goes to Simon Jones who was voted in as the new Conservative Candidate to stand against Jon Cruddas at the next election that gets called.

Havering Conservative Future look forward to working with Simon and hope that the other three candidates find seats.

I was lucky enough to help with the CV sift and interviews to put the four candidates through to the Open Primary. All four were very strong candidates that once selected, will give current non-conservative MP's a run for their seats.

Angela Watkinson MP selected for Hornchurch & Upminster

This morning saw the selection of the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the new Hornchurch and Upminster constituency. The seat was contested by Angela Watkinson MP (Upminster) and James Brokenshire MP (Hornchurch), both excellent Members of Parliament who contribute a great deal to their local communities and the Conservative Party in Parliament.

There was a vote of over 100 members at the selection meeting which saw each candidate speak for 10 minutes and then answer questions for a further 15 minutes. I am delighted to be able to announce that Angela won the vote and has been duly named as the PPC for the Hornchurch and Upminster Constituency.

The contest was robust and dignified and I would like to extend my personal congratualtions to Angela and my best wishes to James who I have no doubt will find another seat in the very near future.

Busy month

We may not have updated the blog too much this month, but in the background we have been very busy.

We have some campaigning days coming up both in Havering and just over the border in the new Rainham & Dagenham Consitituency over the next month. If you are able to help out on any Saturday mornings, please contact us and let us know your availability and we will let you know where we are on that Saturday.

A group of us are off tonight to Nottingham for the Spring Conference. We will update you with regards to the events of the weekend when we return early next week.

There is a quiz night next Saturday (24th) being hosted by Romford Town Ward. It seems spaces are very limited now, so please contact me if you wish to attend at chairman@haveringconservativefuture.com.

The boundary changes in Havering that prompted the Hornchurch Constituency to disappear and be merged into three others means that Rainham and Dagenham needs to find itself a new conservative candidate. After a meeting I attended last night, it seems the timetable for this has now been set and further details will be provided as soon as I have confirmation of them.

With regards to the other two Consitituencies that we cover, Andrew Rosindell MP has already been reselected by the Romford Conservative Association in preparation for the next General Election and the new Hornchurch & Upminster Constituency has it's selection meeting on 24 March.

Finally, for those of you in Rainham and Dagenham, please check out James Brokenshire MP's campaign re: Stop Rainham Jail (http://www.stoprainhamjail.com/). There was a public meeting on Friday 9 March which "was extremely positive and helped to demonstrate the strength of local opposition to any prison plan for Rainham." According to the website, the next event is an awareness and petition signing session outside of the Tesco Extra in Rainham on Saturday 17 March commencing at 10am. If you live in this area, and haven't yet signed the petition, please go and sign up either at Tesco's or online!

Roger Evans Reselected

Last night Councillor Roger Evans AM was reselected as the Conservative Candidate for the London Assembly seat of Havering and Rebridge. Roger made a success appeal to a meeting of representatives from each of the Conservative Associations in the seat held and the offices of the Ilford North Conservatives in Gants Hill.

Roger was first elected to the London Assembly in 2000 and has done excellent job in holding Mayor Livingstone to account, especially on issues concerning transport and the enviroment. In his role as one of our vice presidents, Roger has been a strong supporter of Havering Conservative Future (he has agreed to chair our mayoral candidates hustings on 20th April). We wish him good luck and look forward to supporting him on the campaign trail.

Ilford North CF is Inaugurated

On Friday, young members of the Conservative Party in Ilford North formed a new Conservative Future branch. This is the result of a sustained effort from London North East CF Area Chairman Gareth Thompson who has worked closely with the Ilford North executive, Lee Scott MP and the young members of the party.

The Havering Conservative Future committee has already offered advice and support during the development stage and will continue to assist this fledgling branch in anyway we can. In the meantime, we would like to congratulate Samia and her new committee and wish them good luck for the future!

Mark Clarke Selected for Tooting

Last night Mark Clarke (CF National Chairman) was selected as the Conservative candidate for the Tooting Seat at the next General Election. Although it currently has a Labour majority of over 5,000 we are confident that with a hard-working candidate like Mark the Conservatives can give them a run for their money.
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In his role as CF National Chairman, Mark has been a valuable supporter of Havering Conservative Future. He always on hand to offer advice and has attended our social events, such as the last President's Dinner and the Christmas Meal.
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Congratulations Mark! From everyone in HCF.

Havering MPs to Contest New Seat

It has been reported today that boundary changes in Havering have prompted two of our Conservative MPs to go head to head for the same seat. Hornchurch MP James Brokenshire is to challenge Upminster's Angela Watkinson for the conservative candidacy in the combined Upminster and Hornchurch constituency.

This is an unfortunate situation because both MPs have done excellent work for their different constituencies. They have also both been great backers of Havering CF by regularly attending our dinners, social events and campaign days as well as supporting our recruitment efforts!

Havering CF Launches Blog

Welcome to the first Havering Conservative Future (HCF) Blog!

This site is intended as an informal way for you (both current members and interested people alike) to keep in touch with the activities of HCF. We will be posting regular news about political and social events. We also look forward to having regular feedback so please feel free to post comments on anything you see on the site.

Look forward to hearing from you soon!