Candidates vie for votes in North West Cambridgeshire

More than two thirds of North West Cambridgeshire is farmland

North West Cambridgeshire has been considered a "safe seat" for the Conservative Party at previous elections.

Tory Shailesh Vara has won every vote in the constituency since 2005.

Between its creation in 1997 and Mr Vara’s first term, the seat was held by Conservative Sir Brian Mawhinney.

But is any seat ever truly safe?

Five candidates are vying for election this year, promising to deliver better policing, public transport and health services.

North West Cambridgeshire has changed slightly - it downsized last year to make way for the new constituency of St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire.

More than 85% of the constituency is agricultural land.

It is made up of some suburban areas in south Peterborough and parts of rural Huntingdonshire.

Here are the candidates, listed in alphabetical order according to their last name, hoping to be elected.

Sam Carling, Labour

Labour candidate Sam Carling said "the Conservatives have failed"

Two of North West Cambridgeshire’s five parliamentary hopefuls are under 30, with Labour's Sam Carling the youngest at 22.

He’s a member of Cambridge City Council and holds the title of executive councillor for open services and city services.

Mr Carling said he “fully supports” housing growth in the constituency but added there should be more affordable housing and better public services.

“These are all things politicians can insist on through the planning process, but the Conservatives have failed to do so both locally and nationally,” he said.

Mr Carling said availability of GP and dental appointments were also priorities, as well as bringing back neighbourhood policing.

James Sidlow, Reform UK

Reform UK candidate James Sidlow said he'd be a 'voice for normal people'

James Sidlow, 37, said he was standing for Reform UK to be a “voice for normal people”.

A specialist advanced practitioner with the NHS, he said he was “passionate about fast, effective and free care at the point of delivery”.

Voters tell him petty crimes “feel essentially decriminalised”, he said, which “leads to more serious offences” and emboldens organised gangs.

“My two young daughters give me a sense of urgency about the state of this country and I want it fixed by the time they come of age,” he said.

Bridget Smith, Liberal Democrat

Liberal Democrat candidate Bridget Smith said the UK is 'importing far too much'

Liberal Democrat candidate Bridget Smith, 65, is a councillor too and leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council.

She is also a board member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and said she would ensure “far stronger relationships” between the institution and local councils.

The constituency is “absolutely ripe” to support a future green economy, she said, with manufacturers who could produce heat pumps and electric buses.

“We’re currently importing far too much into this country that we could be manufacturing ourselves,” she said, also raising access to GPs, dentists and housing as major issues.

Elliot Tong, Green Party

Green Party candidate Elliot Tong said 'Labour has no clear vision'

Green Party candidate Elliot Tong is a Cambridge councillor and “a big supporter of unions”, he said.

The 25-year-old said he would “fight to improve our public transport system” and “support getting fair pay for our workers” if elected.

“I would push to bring the water companies back into public ownership in order to clean up our lakes and rivers,” he added.

“Labour has no clear vision for how to improve things, picking up and dropping pledges whenever it suits them,” he said.

The Greens, he said, have "strong ambition and bold policies".

Polling takes place on 4 July. The list of candidates is here.

Shailesh Vara, Conservative

Conservative candidate Shailesh Vara said he has a "track record of delivery"

Mr Vara, 63, said “increased housebuilding” in the area must be matched with “proper infrastructure, including sufficient parking facilities, schools, local shops, GP surgeries and the like”.

He said the constituency has “huge potential to attract investment, which would help create more jobs and prosperity” and that he has a “track record of delivery” as the area’s MP.

Mr Vara has held various government roles and was briefly Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.