The Westminster art of selection: How to become an MP

Gus Carter | Issue 7 | Magazine, Politics

From the Archive

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JULY 4: Ballot papers are tipped out onto a table by counting staff at the counting centre at Emirates Arena as the UK general election count begins on July 4, 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland. Voters in 650 constituencies across the UK are electing members of Parliament to the House of Commons, after the prime minister announced a snap election on May 22, 2024. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JULY 4: Ballot papers are tipped out onto a table by counting staff at the counting centre at Emirates Arena as the UK general election count begins on July 4, 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland. Voters in 650 constituencies across the UK are electing members of Parliament to the House of Commons, after the prime minister announced a snap election on May 22, 2024. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

With Reform receiving 600 new candidate applications in 48 hours, it's clear some people still want to become an MP. Our Westminster insider reveals how to get selected - for all parties.

Words: Gus Carter

So you’ve decided you want to be an MP. How exactly do you go about getting on the ballot? Well, first you’ll need plenty of spare time to campaign for your party of choice; after all, it’s important to endear yourself to the constituency. You’ll also want some kind of network within politics, so established figures can vouch for you when it comes to selection time. Money helps, too, especially once you’ve actually been selected. By some estimates, it can cost upwards of £30,000 to run for parliament, so you’d better get that sorted before you begin. But are you quite sure you have what it takes? Are you able to convince both the party and its members that you’re the right person to represent them on the national stage? If not, maybe you want some training. 

Lurking around Westminster are individuals and groups that will happily help you – sometimes for a fee, sometimes if they think you’re ideologically aligned with their aims, or even part of the right demographic. Organisations like Women2Win or the Labour Women’s Network exist, unsurprisingly, to get more women into parliament. Then there are groups such as Civic Future, an organisation set up by Boris Johnson’s former director of policy in No 10, Munira Mirza, to promote believers in liberal democracy in Westminster. Civic Future runs fellowships and programmes designed to train those hoping to go into …

Subscribe to The Mace

Join the member community shaping British politics and stay ahead of what's really happening in the world of politics and public affairs, with expert analysis, breaking news, and insider insights from Westminster and Brussels. The Mace is the leading news source and resource for the government affairs industry, offering required reading and lobby intelligence for professionals.

To see what you are missing out on by not subscribing to The Mace, click here to download our full membership info-pack. This includes having no paywall on op-ed content or profiles/interviews, allowing professional profiles to be read with maximum impact and visibility by government, special advisers, MPs, peers, civil servants, and policy and political decision-makers.



Industry Watch: John Gill, Deputy Director of External Affairs, Reform UK – “There’s no limit to where a man can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit”

Mace Magazine | August 20, 2026

John Gill's promotion at Reform UK, just before the party launches its inaugural Business Day at its September NEC conference, is indicative of how the party is ramping

Carry on, Clacton

William Cash | August 18, 2026

Wiliam Cash reflects on how the myth of Clacton and its reality has created media distortion when it comes to reporting on Farage’s seaside spiritual HQ.

The Clacton by-election: “It has been amazing for business” 

Ella Beadman and Lucy Carrier-Pilkington | August 10, 2026

Ahead of the Clacton-on-Sea by-election this Thursday, Mace went to the constituency to hear what local businesses make of the media circus that has descended on the seaside town, and the changes they want

Burnham is trying to fix Whitehall, but will the political machinery change?

Mace | August 7, 2026

Andy Burnham is shaking up government with more changes than by any incoming prime minister in memory. But, asks Sir Bernard Jenkin MP, does he understand why the

Racing the sunset: a pilgrim odyssey across a dying Europe

Mace | August 4, 2026

For 10 months, ex-army officer James Jeffrey trekked 3500 km across Europe by foot. The scale of migration he witnessed may not have been as dramatic as the

Leader in Public Affairs: Grace Pritchard, Downing Street Director of News and the Prime Minister’s Political Spokesperson

Mace | August 3, 2026

After heading the Makerfield by-election comms team, Grace Pritchard was singled out by Andy Burnham as being a key part of his northern campaign team. The self-styled 'Yorkshire

Dame Antonia’s key civil service reforms are ready to be supported by Whitehall, says Jonathan Freeman

Mace | August 1, 2026

The Civil Service is ready to support Dame Antonia Romeo's flagship changes to government machinery - notably relating to AI and devolution - under new prime minister Andy

Kemi’s true blue purge, with help from Sir Philip May

William Cash | July 26, 2026

The news that former Home Secretary Sir Grant Shapps has failed to make the new Tory candidate list has put fear into dozens of former Conservative MPs. Whether

If Burnham wants growth, he must start by backing AI and Tech founders and risk-takers, says Liam Houghton

Mace | July 23, 2026

New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has an opportunity to make Britain the best place to start and scale a business, argues CEO Liam Houghton.

The continuing political Whydunnit of the murder of Ann Widdecombe

Mace Magazine | July 23, 2026

The strangely guilty way that the media, and some politicians have reacted to Widdecombe’s shocking death shows the double standards that can operate when a politician of the