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Press Releases
Newsnight reveals social background of Cameron's Conservative A-list
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大象传媒 TWO's Newsnight programme has compiled a list of 100 of David Cameron's selected Parliamentary candidates and A-list 'priority' candidates. Newsnight has conducted the first research into these individuals and will reveal their social background at 10.30pm on Tuesday 3 October 2006.
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After his election as Conservative Party leader, David Cameron told his party that, "we will change the way we look. Nine out of ten Conservative MPs, like me, are white men. We need to change the scandalous under-representation of women in the Conservative Party and we'll do that."
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Newsnight uses the research to examine whether he is succeeding.
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Education
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Fifty-two per cent of the Newsnight 100 were privately educated. According to the education charity the Sutton Trust this compares with 59% of the Conservative MPs elected in 2005. 28% of the Newsnight 100 went to Oxford or Cambridge.
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Sex and ethnicity
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Forty-six per cent of the Newsnight 100 are women and the Newsnight 100 also shows an apparent increase in the number of candidates from ethnic minorities.
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Fresh young faces
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According to the Newsnight research, David Cameron does not appear to have been so successful at recruiting fresh young faces. Eighty-nine per cent of the Newsnight 100 have worked for the Conservative Party in some capacity or have stood in previous national or local elections as Conservatives.
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Location
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Sixty-one per cent are from the south of England.
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Work
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Two-thirds of the Newsnight 100 work in the world of business, media and politics. Eighteen per cent are in finance; 17% in politics; 17% in media, PR and campaigning and 14% in business. Nine are lawyers; six are medics and three work in education. The rest are a mixed bag - anything from the Metropolitan Police and the Ministry of Sound to farming and the stage.
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Conservative MP Nadine Dorries tells Newsnight that any changes haven't gone far enough: "There is very little point in replacing a party which used to predominantly have MPs who were white, male barristers with 2.4 children and a Labrador from the south of England. there's no point replacing them just simply with women who are of the same profile.
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"We do want much more diversity, a broader and deeper diversity in the party. But that doesn't happen overnight."
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Notes to Editors
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If any use is made of this material please credit Newsnight on 大象传媒 TWO. 听
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