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)

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 …

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