THE CONSERVATIVE party have hit back at claims they are scrambling around for candidates for the general election.
On Thursday, May 23, Channel 4 News political correspondent Paul McNamara revealed they were actively seeking applications for people to stand in almost 100 seats.
Potential candidates are invited to apply by Saturday, May 25.
Among the seats in the published list is Reading Central, the successor to Reading East.
Last year, former Reading East Conservative MP Rob Wilson put his name forward for the new seat of Earley and Woodley, but lost out to Wokingham Conservatives leader Pauline Jorgensen.
It is not known if he would be prepared to try again for Reading Central.
The Conservatives issues with candidate selection will have been exacerbated by Sir John Redwood’s decision to step down, despite having been picked by the Wokingham Conservatives in February last year.
And they will also be looking for an MP to replace Michael Gove, who has also announced he is not standing.
The party does have a candidate for Reading West and Mid-Berkshire in the form of Ross Mackinnon, the leader of West Berkshire Council Conservative group.
A Conservative spokesperson said: “The Conservative Party is well prepared, with three-quarters of seats already selected with excellent Conservative candidates.”
