The general election across Cambridgeshire

Black ballot box with a hand placing a paper inside itImage source, PA Media
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Boundary changes mean an extra MP will represent Cambridgeshire after the general election

  • Published

With a general election called for 4 July, voters in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough may find themselves in a different constituency following boundary changes announced last year. There are now eight constituencies - up from seven.

A brand new constituency, St Neots & Mid Cambridgeshire, has been created and other constituencies have shifted or changed names.

Cambridgeshire's constituencies for 2024

  • Cambridge

  • Ely & East Cambridgeshire

  • Huntingdon

  • North East Cambridgeshire

  • North West Cambridgeshire

  • Peterborough

  • St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire

  • South Cambridgeshire

You can check which constituency you live in on the dedicated BBC election pages.

The county is largely rural with the historic university city of Cambridge, the cathedral cities of Peterborough and Ely, smaller market towns, and villages.

In the 2019 election, all the constituencies returned a Conservative MP, apart from Cambridge where Labour's Daniel Zeichner retained the seat.

All those serving MPs, except for Jonathan Djanogly in Huntingdon, are seeking re-election.

Constituencies to watch

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Peterborough will be a key battleground seat for Labour and the Conservatives

The Peterborough constituency (one of two covering the city along with North West Cambs) will be a key battleground for Labour and the Conservatives. The 2019 election saw the Conservative candidate Paul Bristow win with a small majority of 2,580. It is Labour's number one target seat in the East of England and its candidate Andrew Pakes was selected in 2022.

Peterborough is one of those "bellweather" seats where the political colour of the MP is often the colour of the government, so we expect to see some intense campaigning there.

The South Cambridgeshire constituency is vastly different in shape compared to 2019 due to redrawn boundaries.

Historically a very safe Conservative seat, but recent local election results have shown big support for the Liberal Democrats. It is third on the party's target list.

The area is seen as very affluent and educated. The rural area borders Cambridge and has seen a huge demand for housing. The needs for homes, infrastructure and how to balance that with protecting the environment have been key debating points by politicians in recent years.

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The new constituency of St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire has been created to include new community developments like Northstowe and Cambourne

The new constituency of St Neots & Mid Cambridgeshire takes in the A428/A14 corridor between the Huntingdonshire market town and Cambridge. It includes parts that were formerly in the old constituencies of Huntingdon, South Cambridgeshire, South East Cambridgeshire and North West Cambridgeshire.

Recent opinion polls suggest the area could be a three-way marginal seat.

This is an area that is seeing a growing population in the new towns of Northstowe and Cambourne. St Neots is also seeing a huge amount of house building, which is proving attractive to families where at least one person commutes to London due to its position on the A1 and the main railway line between the capital, Peterborough and onwards to Edinburgh.

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