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Whilst recent discussion has noted special advisers who have risen to the pinnacle of British politics, this is mostly characterised by selection bias as it does not examine the entire cohort of special advisers nor the subset who have been parliamentary candidates. This article examines the background and success (in terms of being elected and ministerial progression) of special advisers from 1979 to 2010. It concludes that whilst having similar backgrounds to the entire cohort of special advisers, those who stand for Parliament have radically different backgrounds from ‘typical’ candidates. Those who enter Parliament experience extremely rapid career progression, even more than other MPs with ‘instrumental’ political experience.
