Battle heats up for 'safe seat' of South Norfolk

South Norfolk Labour candidate Ben Goldsborough is hoping for his party's first win in the seat since 1945

Campaigning is heating up in the traditionally safe Conservative seat of South Norfolk.

The constituency hasn’t returned a candidate from another party since the end of World War Two.

As its former MP Richard Bacon stands down, Labour, the Greens, Reform, Liberal Democrats, an independent - and the Social Democratic Party - are all eyeing the seat.

But they all face competition from the Tories, who are fielding a new face for the first time in 23 years.

Conservative candidate Poppy Simister-Thomas is calling for a fresh start in the constituency

Poppy Simister-Thomas is standing for the Conservatives in South Norfolk.

By focussing on affordable housing, access to NHS services and high-quality jobs, the 34-year-old hopes to convince voters to give the Tories a fresh start in the constituency.

"The big thing that's coming up is disillusionment," she said.

"I think lots of people are fed up with politics and I don't talk to people who are excited and motivated about voting at the moment.

"The Conservatives have set out lots of really exciting policies that people can be excited by, but I need to get that across to people.

"It's an opportunity to look to the future and show them something fresh and exciting. And that's something that I'm finding is really well-received."

'A lack of hope'

Labour haven’t won in South Norfolk since 1945. But the party’s candidate, Ben Goldsborough, said voters were ready for a change.

Mr Goldsborough, 33, who works for an ethical communications company, said access to GP services and dentistry were big issues on the doorstep.

"It's the lack of hope at the moment, which is really heart-breaking at every door you knock and the reason is because when people look around, the service isn't there any more," he said.

"We know there are a huge amount of issues and we will work day and night to get them fixed, but there isn't a magic wand.

"This is a long process to unpick 14 years of Conservative failure and that is what we promise to do if we are lucky enough to be asked to serve you."

Green Party candidate Prof Catherine Rowett said momentum was building in South Norfolk

The Greens are hoping to build on their momentum in the area, which saw them take a seat on the county council - and South Norfolk Council - in two recent by-elections.

Their candidate, Prof Catherine Rowett, 67, is a former Green Party MEP for the East of England and says the Green agenda is attracting attention.

"I think there are a lot of people who are aware of the national messaging that the Green Party is putting out about the way it stands up for real people with real hope and real change," she said.

"There is a sense that what Labour are offering is not that different from what the Conservatives have been offering - and an enormous sense that the Conservatives have completely let us down."

Reform candidate Chris Harrison said his party needed to be a credible opposition in the next government

Technology consultant Chris Harrison, 54, is standing for Reform in South Norfolk and said his party’s stance on migration and scrapping net zero was resonating with voters.

"Reform is getting a lot of support," he said. "I am getting hundreds and hundreds of emails a day, pledging support, lots of people saying they are turning away from the Conservatives.

"The party has to convert those things into actual votes which I totally recognise is not easy.

"I think what Reform has to do is be a credible opposition for whatever happens next. And then they’ll see that support convert into votes."

South Norfolk councillor Chris Brown is standing for the Liberal Democrats

Public relations consultant Chris Brown, 55, is contesting the seat for the Liberal Democrats.

He hopes to pick up support from voters looking for a new approach.

"I think this time, more than ever, we're finding a lot of former Conservative voters who don't want to vote Conservative, but they don't know what to vote for and they're completely split," he said.

"And so there's going to be a lot of change this time and we will wait to see how that plays out."

Independent candidate, Paco Davila, is also standing in the constituency, as is Jason Maguire for the Social Democratic Party.

A full list of candidates can be found here.