Women2win was set up in November 2005. It aims to increase the number of Conservative women MPs, by providing support, advice and training to women who wish to enter Parliament or get more involved in politics.

  Since its inception the work of women2win has run through three phases.

  Phase 1:  involved attracting women to the Party and attracting women within the Party to the idea of becoming MPs and hence of standing as Parliamentary candidates. The aim was also to attract more women from black and minority ethnic communities to stand as candidates. These aims were largely achieved through networking events together with seminars giving an "Introduction to Politics" which showed how women could be involved both in the voluntary Party and by standing for election as MPs or councillors. These seminars were a means of helping the women coming forward to get a better idea of what was involved and find out the level of involvement that was right for them. The networking and Introduction to Politics seminars continued throughout the following phases allow not at the same intensity.

  During this phase training support was also given to potential candidates who were applying to be accepted onto the Party's Candidates List.

  Phase 2:  concentrated on more training for candidates who were going for selection in particular seats. Some general training was made available, but the focus was on intense one-to-one training for individual candidates.

  Phase 3:  involves more outreach work with a view to identifying potential candidates for the election after next. It will also involve work to attract potential candidates from a more diverse range of backgrounds for example in the public sector.

  During this phase individual support will continue to be given particularly to those candidates standing for selection in winnable or Conservative held seats.

  The success which the Conservative Party has had in selecting more women candidates owes much to the changes that were made under David Cameron in the Party's selection procedures but it also owes something to the work done by women2win particularly in working with individual candidates prior to selection interviews.

  During this work we have identified a number of issues which we consider worthy of reference to the Speaker's Conference as set out below.

POINTS ARISING FROM WOMEN2WIN'S EXPERIENCE

  1.  Many women who would make good MPs are reluctant to come forward because they do not appreciate how their skills fit the job. Organisations like women2win can perform a useful function in setting out and promoting good role models and in providing a more neutral environment in which women can explore their interest in politics and learn more about how they would fit in.

  2.  Women who have no track record in the Party find it particularly difficult to get selected for a number of reasons. In the main constituencies still expect candidates to have experience, but also women new to politics can find the political jargon defeats them. Women also tend to bring their business experience into their political life and often find it difficult to recognise that winning hearts and minds is about more than a professional presentation. Training can overcome these problems.

  3.  Talking about the difficulties in getting women into Parliament is very off-putting. We need to concentrate on the positives and show how it can be done rather than why it is difficult to do.

  4.  By far the greatest issue facing many women with an interest in politics is finances. It is expensive to get selected—training courses and travelling around the country for interviews. It is also expensive to be a candidate. Many women feel they cannot put the family finances into their personal ambition, but also many women simply do not have the finances to do this in the first place. Women2win has been able to provide some small level of support to some candidates but finances remain a key issue. Addressing this problem would be a valuable area of focus for the Speaker's Conference.