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Gay news: There are 20, but only 11 are willing to be named
Tories
Cameron publishes list of his openly gay candidates
David Cameron has published the first-ever official list of openly gay candidates his party will field in the general election.
It follows shadow minister Nick Herbert's claim that the Conservatives could have up to 15 out gay MPs if it wins at the polls.
Herbert volunteered to send the Mail on Sunday a list of 20 openly gay candidates who wished to be included in the overall total, of whom 11 were 'happy' to have their names published.
Along with existing MPs Herbert, Alan Duncan and Greg Barker, five of the eleven are likely to win based on current polls.
Herbert told an audience in Washington last month that the "male, white, professional, grey-suited and straight" domination of the party must end.
"At the last election, of our 193 MPs elected, just 17 were women, only two black or minority ethnic and two were openly gay," he said.
"If we were truly representative of the country we would have 99 women, 16 black or minority ethnic and ten gay MPs."
Last week, the Times estimated that if the Conservatives won the election with a majority of ten they would have slightly more out gay MPs than Labour currently has, at 2.4% against 2.3%.
The Conservative candidates contesting winnable seats are:
- Margot James, 52, Stourbridge
- David Gold, 37, Eltham
- Iain Stewart, 37, Milton Keynes South
- Nick Boles, 44, Grantham
- Mark Coote, 49, Cheltenham
Those less likely to win are:
- Nick King, 44, Mid Dorset and North Poole
- Matthew Sephton, 34, Salford and Eccles
- Simon Nayyar, 42, Hackney South and Shoreditch
