Voters in first-time Labour seats pass judgement

Angela Ratcliff was winning in Southend West but was not so happy with the party that won in her constituency

Labour's landslide election last year saw the party win in places it had never won before.

Southend had voted for Conservative MPs for more than a century and Bury St Edmunds had been represented by a Tory in Westminster since 1885.

But on 4 July 2024, both Southend parliamentary seats in Essex and the Bury St Edmunds & Stowmarket constituency in Suffolk changed from blue to red for the first time.

In the run-up to the Labour party conference, there is a lot of noise about Sir Keir Starmer's popularity as Prime Minister and his leadership of the party.

BBC Politics East has been talking to voters to find out if the party is loved or if its support has been lost.

'Regretting my vote'

The cathedral market town of Bury St Edmunds voted Labour for the first time in 2024

It is market day in Bury St Edmunds. Bunting hangs over the pedestrianised town centre streets lined with a chain stores, independent shops, coffee outlets and an art gallery.

Two buskers are playing Bee Gees hits on harp and cello. Shoppers, parents with pushchairs and office workers on the sandwich run stop to listen to their rendition of How Deep Is Your Love? As they do it is a chance to find out how deep Labour's support is now.

"I voted Labour," Grace Duffin says, before laughing and adding: "I might be regretting that now."

The 57-year-old voted Labour for the first time after being a life-long Conservative.

"I just fancied a change. I wanted to see if Labour could do any better. I work for the NHS and it hasn't got any better," she says.

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If the election was tomorrow she does not know who she would vote for, but she feels "the country isn't going in the right direction at the moment".

Laura Prime thought Labour would have achieved more in government than they have.

Elsewhere in the pedestrianised town centre, Laura Prime says: "I thought Labour were going to do more than they have done. I thought it was going to be better even though I didn't want them to be in power."

The 39-year-old says she voted Conservative, as she has always done.

"I think a lot more people that did vote Labour wanted more from them. There is a bit of disappointment."

'Needed a different government'

Grace Duffin voted Labour for the first time and has some regrets

There are happy customers among the fruit and veg stalls. Claire Titcombe says she is still happy with the way she voted.

"I think we needed a different government and I was pleased Labour got in," she says.

The 55-year-old says: "People are unhappy with certain aspects of policy but I think there is a big populist movement coming over from America.

"I think this is just a phase. I am hoping this is going to calm down by the next election."

The Conservatives lost a third of their 2019 vote here last year and Labour won a slender majority of 1,452 votes.

Asked if she feels Labour could hold this Suffolk seat of market towns and farms, she says: "I would hope that they can, but I am not convinced."

PM needs to be 'more visible'

Peter Prinsley MP holds one of 211 seats Labour gained last year

The local Labour MP Peter Prinsley says he is not thinking about the noise around the party's alleged unpopularity in government: "It's not keeping me up at night just yet because it's so long until the next election.

"We've lost control, to some extent, of the agenda. The news agenda is being set by some of our political opponents.

"We are not sufficiently explaining to people the measures we have put in place and how they are going to improve people's lives."

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Prinsley says he told Downing Street about how he feels the party is being perceived.

"I would like to see the Prime Minister himself a little bit more visible out there explaining to people what the government is doing," he says.

'I like Keir Starmer'

John Knight changed from Conservative to Labour for the first time in 2024

Eighty miles south, it feels like the sun is about to set on summer in Westcliff-on-Sea.

It is the last week that White Hall Bowling Club is hosting matches outside. More voters in Southend West wanted Labour to run the offices of state in Whitehall for the first time in the Essex city's history.

John Knight, from Leigh-on-Sea, is part of the 6.6% vote share that swung to Labour last year and says he still feels good about how he voted.

"I like Keir Starmer. He's not perfect, but the good thing he is doing is building better ties with Europe," he says.

White Hall Bowling Club is part of the constituency that elected a Labour MP for the first time

Angela Ratcliff is on a different team. The 70-year-old retired NHS nurse says: "I think the Labour government is doing appallingly."

She feels Labour "don't care about the ordinary working people".

"They say they do, but they are only interested in the wealthy people.

"They don't look after the pensioners. Our state pension is the lowest in Europe. It's really difficult to live off. My money doesn't keep pace with all the increases."

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Inflation, which was 3.8% in August, is a concern for government and food prices are expected to rise at the highest rate among richer countries this year.

But as Labour delegates head to Liverpool for their party's conference, current opinion polling suggests holding Southend West and Bury St Edmunds & Stowmarket would be a challenge.

However, the government has time until the general election, scheduled for 2029, to try to turn its political popularity around.

BBC Politics East is on at 10:00 BST on Sunday, 28 September and programmes are available after broadcast on the BBC iPlayer.