She once referred to it as the "nasty party" - now Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Theresa May is more at ease with being Conservative. In the run up to the local elections, she talks to Women's Editor Sarah Foster about promoting female candidates

IT'S not exactly the impression they intended. Twenty Tory women have been corralled to meet the visitor, Shadow Leader of the Commons, Theresa May. But while they're meant to be the torchbearers, the bright young things of future government, most are over 60. "It's a shame that most of the younger women can't come because of the timing," laments Heather Scott, leader of the Conservative group on Darlington Borough Council. "We've got the largest number of women standing for Darlington that we've had for a long time."

The issue of getting women elected and, in a broader sense, engaged in politics is one that's close to Theresa's heart. She's long campaigned for more equality and, in what's still a famous speech during the party conference of 2002, denounced its non-inclusive politics. As the Conservatives' chairman, the only woman to have held the post, she made the delegates sit up by branding theirs the "nasty party", mired in feuding and corruption and not the slightest bit concerned with British women or minorities. She caused a stir for something else - her leopard print shoes - and ever since has been renowned for her outlandish taste in footwear.

When she arrives at Stressholme Golf Club in Darlington - her final stop in the Tees Valley - she seems relaxed and easygoing. She may be anxious to go home, with the long journey back to Maidenhead, her Berkshire constituency, looming, but if she is, she doesn't show it. She greets the women warmly and, perching casually on a desk, her leopard-print pumps on display, begins the team talk.

As Tory councillor Ian Galletley - the only male in the vicinity - points out before she takes the floor, she is the party's most successful female since Margaret Thatcher. As Shadow Leader of the House, she wields considerable power, and looking back on her CV, she's held some other major posts, including Shadow Secretary of State for Environment and Transport and head of Culture, Media and Sport. Her latest venture has been establishing women2win, a group specifically set up to get more women into Parliament. She explains why it's so important.

"I think women are sometimes put off standing for Parliament by a number of things. They're concerned about the intrusion into people's private lives by the media and obviously the fact that every Member of Parliament has to be in Westminster and their constituency, which involves being separated from your family. But it's important that we have women coming forward because they have different experiences to men. It will benefit Parliament as a whole."

Of course she's bound to take this view - as one of the relatively few women who've scaled the heights of British politics, it could be said that it behoves her to be a champion of her sex. What makes her different from Mrs Thatcher, and is indicative of the times, is that instead of acting tough - the alpha male who wears a dress - she's happy being a woman with all the qualities it brings.

At 50 years old, and married to Philip but with no children, she oozes confidence and style - today apart from the loud shoes, she wears a sober trouser suit - and with her Oxford education, she fits in well with the elite. It is perhaps then not surprising that she hasn't faced a struggle.

"I was lucky in that I don't feel that I was ever personally discriminated against because I was a woman, but I have colleagues who have had different experiences," she says. "We've done a lot as a party to try and challenge our selection process for Parliamentary seats to try to ensure much more of a level playing field - to stop questions being asked of women that shouldn't be asked, but also to ensure that there's nothing in the way we handle the selections that disadvantages women."

Yet this does not extend to positive discrimination - the all-women shortlists that some believe provide the answer. Theresa sees them as unnecessary. "We have always said we can get more women selected without imposing all-women shortlists," she says. "It is open to any constituency to choose an all-women shortlist but we haven't imposed it."

Though under David Cameron's leadership, more women are becoming candidates, it's still men who dominate Parliament. The old boys' network seems entrenched and, for a host of practical reasons, for many wives and mothers, the thought of standing is remote. This is an issue that mum Kate Davies, who hopes to win a council seat, outlines when pointing out the cost.

"It's a problem that the party is aware of - there isn't at the moment a central source of funds in the party," says Theresa. "At women2win we have some funding that we can provide. What we are trying to do is do as much of our support work in ways that don't require people to travel and spend money. We are aiming to provide a lot of training on the web."

She once considered pursing the leadership - when Michael Howard resigned - but joined the Cameron camp instead. She feels his policies appeal to many women. "He is genuinely a modern, young, family man. I think it's good for politics."

And this is also her agenda. She hopes her insights as a woman will help bring balance into politics - and that extends to being free to wear whatever shoes she likes. "I've always liked nice shoes, I've always liked interesting shoes, and I don't see any reason why a politician should conform to an image of what they should be like," she says. "It's also something which is just a little bit different for a politician, that gives people who are not terribly attuned to politics something to latch onto and talk about. I can go somewhere and people will ask about the shoes. It's like an ice-breaker. It makes people feel more comfortable."

For more information on women2win, visit www.women2win.com