Two councillors and a former by-election candidate selected to fight in 2015.
ConHome pressed for more seats to select sooner – it seems CCHQ has listened.
This by-election was ultimately won by the brute force of a massive activist turnout. It was a vivid demonstration of the importance of a party’s grassroots.
A nation gets the government it deserves, it is said – what do we get if voters just shrug?
At present, UKIP poses more of a threat to the Conservatives than Labour.
New polling shows Labour cruising on 61 per cent, with UKIP in second on 15 per cent and the Tories in a close third on 14 per cent.
Might it be a battle of two separate two-horse races?
With the Lib Dem vote facing a squeeze and UKIP planning to target Labour voters, it’s all to play for.
If the Conservatives doesn’t win a majority in 2015, one of the reasons will be their 2011 decision to stick with First Past The Post.