Aspiring Labour MPs can now apply for selection in all remaining seats without prospective parliamentary candidates, with the party publishing a full list of so-called “non-battleground” seats online.
The list includes 211 ‘non-battleground’ seats, which amounts to just under a third of Westminster’s 650 constituencies. This would appear to suggest Labour strategists believe the party has a fighting chance in the remaining 439 seats.
The party’s best ever general election result in terms of the number of seats won was 418 in 1997, followed by 412 in 2001, 393 in 1945 and 393 in 1966. It won just 202 in 2019.
The application page for Westminster selection contests on Labour’s website is here, with candidates expected to meet requirements including belonging to a trade union and 12 months of party membership.
Applications will close at midday on January 10. It comes after the Labour national executive committee (NEC) recently voted to accelerate such parliamentary selections late last month, as LabourList revealed, amid rising expectations the Tories could consider holding an election in early 2024 rather than later in the year.
Documents seen by LabourList last month also said all members who previously expressed interest in standing in such seats would be contacted too.
We have reproduced Labour’s list with the name, region and current party which holds the seat below, in alphabetical order:
Boston and Skegness East Midlands Conservative
Daventry East Midlands Conservative
Derbyshire Dales East Midlands Conservative
Gainsborough East Midlands Conservative
Grantham and Bourne East Midlands Conservative
Harborough, Oadby and Wigston East Midlands Conservative
Hinckley and Bosworth East Midlands Conservative
Louth and Horncastle East Midlands Conservative
Melton and Syston East Midlands Conservative
Mid Derbyshire East Midlands Conservative
Mid Leicestershire East Midlands Conservative
Newark East Midlands Conservative
Rutland and Stamford East Midlands Conservative
Sleaford and North Hykeham East Midlands Conservative
South Holland and The Deepings East Midlands Conservative
South Leicestershire East Midlands Conservative
South Northamptonshire East Midlands Conservative
Basildon and Billericay Eastern Conservative
Braintree Eastern Conservative
Brentwood and Ongar Eastern Conservative
Broadland and Fakenham Eastern Conservative
Broxbourne Eastern Conservative
Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket Eastern Conservative
Castle Point Eastern Conservative
Central Suffolk and North Ipswich Eastern Conservative
Chelmsford Eastern Conservative
Clacton Eastern Conservative
Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard Eastern Conservative
Ely and East Cambridgeshire Eastern Conservative
Epping Forest Eastern Conservative
Harpenden and Berkhamsted Eastern Conservative
Harwich and North Essex Eastern Conservative
Hertford and Stortford Eastern Conservative
Hertsmere Eastern Conservative
Huntingdon Eastern Conservative
Maldon Eastern Conservative
Mid Norfolk Eastern Conservative
North Bedfordshire Eastern Conservative
North East Cambridgeshire Eastern Conservative
North East Hertfordshire Eastern Conservative
North Norfolk Eastern Conservative
North West Cambridgeshire Eastern Conservative
North West Essex Eastern Conservative
North West Norfolk Eastern Conservative
Rayleigh and Wickford Eastern Conservative
South Basildon and East Thurrock Eastern Conservative
South Cambridgeshire Eastern Conservative
South Norfolk Eastern Conservative
South Suffolk Eastern Conservative
South West Hertfordshire Eastern Conservative
South West Norfolk Eastern Conservative
St Albans Eastern Lib Dem
St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire Eastern Conservative
Suffolk Coastal Eastern Conservative
Waveney Valley Eastern Conservative
West Suffolk Eastern Conservative
Witham Eastern Conservative
Bexleyheath and Crayford London Conservative
Bromley and Biggin Hill London Conservative
Carshalton and Wallington London Conservative
Hornchurch and Upminster London Conservative
Kingston and Surbiton London Lib Dem
Old Bexley and Sidcup London Conservative
Orpington London Conservative
Richmond Park London Lib Dem
Romford London Conservative
Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner London Conservative
Sutton and Cheam London Conservative
Twickenham London Lib Dem
North Northumberland North Conservative
Cheadle North West Conservative
Chester South and Eddisbury North West Conservative
Congleton North West Conservative
Fylde North West Conservative
Hazel Grove North West Conservative
Ribble Valley North West Conservative
Tatton North West Conservative
Westmorland and Lonsdale North West Conservative
Arundel and South Downs South East Conservative
Ashford South East Conservative
Aylesbury South East Conservative
Beaconsfield South East Conservative
Bexhill and Battle South East Conservative
Bicester and Woodstock South East Conservative
Bognor Regis and Littlehampton South East Conservative
Bracknell South East Conservative
Chatham and Aylesford South East Conservative
Chesham and Amersham South East Conservative
Chichester South East Conservative
Dartford South East Conservative
Didcot and Wantage South East Conservative
Dorking and Horley South East Conservative
East Grinstead and Uckfield South East Conservative
East Hampshire South East Conservative
East Surrey South East Conservative
Eastbourne South East Conservative
Eastleigh South East Conservative
Epsom and Ewell South East Conservative
Esher and Walton South East Conservative
Fareham and Waterlooville South East Conservative
Farnham and Bordon South East Conservative
Faversham and Mid Kent South East Conservative
Folkestone and Hythe South East Conservative
Godalming and Ash South East Conservative
Gosport South East Conservative
Guildford South East Conservative
Hamble Valley South East Conservative
Havant South East Conservative
Henley and Thame South East Conservative
Herne Bay and Sandwich South East Conservative
Horsham South East Conservative
Isle of Wight East South East Conservative
Isle of Wight West South East Conservative
Lewes South East Conservative
Maidenhead South East Conservative
Maidstone and Malling South East Conservative
Mid Buckinghamshire South East Conservative
Mid Sussex South East Conservative
New Forest East South East Conservative
New Forest West South East Conservative
Newbury South East Conservative
North East Hampshire South East Conservative
North West Hampshire South East Conservative
Oxford West and Abingdon South East Lib Dem
Portsmouth North South East Conservative
Reading West and Mid Berkshire South East Conservative
Reigate South East Conservative
Romsey and Southampton North South East Conservative
Runnymede and Weybridge South East Conservative
Sevenoaks South East Conservative
Sittingbourne and Sheppey South East Conservative
Spelthorne South East Conservative
Surrey Heath South East Conservative
Sussex Weald South East Conservative
Tonbridge South East Conservative
Tunbridge Wells South East Conservative
Weald of Kent South East Conservative
Winchester South East Conservative
Windsor South East Conservative
Witney South East Conservative
Woking South East Conservative
Wokingham South East Conservative
Bath South West Lib Dem
Bridgwater South West Conservative
Central Devon South West Conservative
Cheltenham South West Conservative
Chippenham South West Conservative
Christchurch South West Conservative
East Wiltshire South West Conservative
Exmouth and Exeter East South West Conservative
Forest of Dean South West Conservative
Frome and East Somerset South West Conservative
Glastonbury and Somerton South West Conservative
Honiton and Sidmouth South West Conservative
Melksham and Devizes South West Conservative
Mid Dorset and North Poole South West Conservative
Newton Abbot South West Conservative
North Cornwall South West Conservative
North Cotswolds South West Conservative
North Devon South West Conservative
North Dorset South West Conservative
North East Somerset and Hanham South West Conservative
North Somerset South West Conservative
Poole South West Conservative
Salisbury South West Conservative
South Cotswolds South West Conservative
South Devon South West Conservative
South Dorset South West Conservative
South East Cornwall South West Conservative
South West Devon South West Conservative
South West Wiltshire South West Conservative
St Austell and Newquay South West Conservative
St Ives South West Conservative
Taunton and Wellington South West Conservative
Tewkesbury South West Conservative
Thornbury and Yate South West Conservative
Tiverton and Minehead South West Conservative
Torbay South West Conservative
Torridge and Tavistock South West Conservative
Wells and Mendip Hills South West Conservative
West Dorset South West Conservative
Weston-super-Mare South West Conservative
Yeovil South West Conservative
Aldridge-Brownhills West Midlands Conservative
Bromsgrove West Midlands Conservative
Droitwich and Evesham West Midlands Conservative
Hereford and South Herefordshire West Midlands Conservative
Kenilworth and Southam West Midlands Conservative
Kingswinford and South Staffordshire West Midlands Conservative
Lichfield West Midlands Conservative
Meriden and Solihull East West Midlands Conservative
North Herefordshire West Midlands Conservative
North Shropshire West Midlands Conservative
Solihull West and Shirley West Midlands Conservative
South Shropshire West Midlands Conservative
Staffordshire Moorlands West Midlands Conservative
Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge West Midlands Conservative
Stratford-on-Avon West Midlands Conservative
Sutton Coldfield West Midlands Conservative
The Wrekin West Midlands Conservative
West Worcestershire West Midlands Conservative
Wyre Forest West Midlands Conservative
Beverley and Holderness Yorkshire and Humber Conservative
Bridlington and The Wolds Yorkshire and Humber Conservative
Brigg and Immingham Yorkshire and Humber Conservative
Goole and Pocklington Yorkshire and Humber Conservative
Harrogate and Knaresborough Yorkshire and Humber Conservative
Richmond and Northallerton Yorkshire and Humber Conservative
Skipton and Ripon Yorkshire and Humber Conservative
Thirsk and Malton Yorkshire and Humber Conservative
Wetherby and Easingwold Yorkshire and Humber Conservative
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