Key by-elections set for June 29

David Cameron has called on Conservatives to mobilise support after it was announced that Parliamentary by-elections in Bromley and Chislehurst and Blaenau Gwent will take place on Thursday, June 29.

Conservative Party chiefs moved the writ in the Commons for the contest in Bromley and Chislehurst which will coincide with the by-election in Blaenau Gwent, the seat in South Wales which Labour lost to an independent in last year's general election.

Bromley and Chislehurst has been a Conservative stronghold since it was created in 1997, and was represented at Westminster by former minister Eric Forth, who died suddenly last month.

Last weekend, Bob Neill, Conservative Leader in the London Assembly, was chosen to fight the by-election for the Party. He declared: "It's a great honour to be selected to fight Bromley and Chislehurst. I have enjoyed representing the area for six years as a member of the London Assembly and I hope to have the opportunity to do so as its Member of Parliament."

The Conservative Parliamentary candidate in Blaenau Gwent is Margrit Williams - who fought the seat at the 1997 General Election.
Margrit, 42, currently works as a researcher for former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind MP.

She declared: "In the last 12 months the people of Blaenau Gwent have shown that they will no longer tolerate being taken for granted by the Labour Party. Now, more than ever, they need an effective voice listening to them, understanding their concerns and acting on their behalf."

The Blaenau Gwent contest was triggered by the death of independent MP Peter Law, who seized the former Labour stronghold after he quit the party in protest at all-women shortlists. He turned a majority of more than 19,000 into a 9,121 margin for himself.

David Cameron is keen to mobilise the Conservative vote in both areas and is calling on volunteers to help out.

Conservatives.com