Can Tories keep blue flag flying in Buckinghamshire?

Wycombe is among the traditionally Conservative seats that the Tories will be looking to hang on to on 4 July

Tradition tells us large parts of Buckinghamshire are safe Conservative seats, but could the history books be ripped up on 4 July?

Whatever happens, the county will have one more MP, with boundary changes bringing the number of seats up for grabs to eight.

Here's a brief guide to each constituency and the views of people living in some of them.

Aylesbury (Majority 17,373, currently Conservative)

Candidates: Julie Atkins (Green), Rob Butler (Conservative), Jan Gajdos (Workers Party), Laura Kyrke-Smith (Labour), Steven Lambert (Libercal Democrat), Lesley Taylor (Reform UK), Richard Wilding (Social Democratic Party)

In a county full of safe Conservative seats, in terms of longevity, Aylesbury has surely been one of the safest, having been Tory since 1929.

It covers the market town it's named after, plus nearby Aston Clinton, Bierton, Ivinghoe and Wing, although new housing developments mean there's a lot less space between those places, and many more vehicles on an already under-pressure road network.

It is hoped road schemes such as this one will fix some of those issues.

Beaconsfield (Majority 15,712 currently Conservative)

Candidates: Pippa Allen (Independent), Cole Caesar (Independent), Anna Crabtree (Liberal Democrat), John Halsall (Reform UK), Catherine Harker (Social Democratic Party), Joy Morrissey (Conservative), Matt Patterson (Labour), Dominick Pegram (Green)

Another Buckinghamshire constituency that, for most of its history, has been seen as a safe Tory seat, it celebrates its 50th birthday this year and has been blue throughout, aside from three months in 2019.

That period saw incumbent MP Dominic Grieve, become an Independent after being removed from the Conservative party for backing a bill to try to stop a no-deal Brexit.

He stood as an Independent in the 2019 general election, but despite putting up a good fight, lost to Tory candidate Joy Morrissey, who is standing again.

Margo Jackson has lived in Buckingham for 37 years but is "excited and hopeful" at the prospect of political change there

Buckingham and Bletchley (Majority N/A)

Candidates: Callum Anderson (Labour), Ray Brady (Independent), Jordan Cattell (Reform UK), Dominic Dyer (Liberal Democrat), Amanda Onwuemene (Green), Iain Stewart (Conservative)

This replaces the Milton Keynes South constituency, joining up Bletchley and Tattenhoe from that seat but adding the town of Buckingham, which previously had a seat of its own.

Historically Bletchley has felt like a Labour area but Buckingham has always seemed Conservative.

However, "brunchers" at Prego restaurant in Buckingham felt the area was changing.

Julie Noble, 77, told the BBC: "There's a lot of new expensive houses in Bletchley, so I don't think it will be as easy for Labour there as they might think."

"There are too many Tories in Buckingham, Winslow and surrounding villages and most of the farmers here will vote Tory."

However, Margo Jackson, 74, said she was "excited and hopeful" that change might come.

"This county has been blue for the 37 years I've been here, so I think it's about time I got a break," she said.

Chesham and Amersham (Majority 8,028, currently Liberal Democrat)

Candidates: Chris Chilton (Labour), Julian Foster (Heritage Party), Justine Fulford (Green), Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat), Laurence Jarvis (Reform UK), Muhammad Khan (Workers Party), Gareth Williams (Conservative)

For 47 years this was another strong Conservative constituency, but that changed just over three years ago when the Liberal Democrats won the by-election in the seat following the death of Dame Cheryl Gillan.

It is not on Labour's target list of seats, so the focus will be on whether the Lib Dems can hold on to it, or whether the Tories grab it back.

Mid Buckinghamshire (Majority N/A)

Candidates: Wisdom Da Costa (Climate Party), Carissma Griffiths (Labour), Stephanie Harwood (Reform UK), Greg Smith (Conservative), Greg Smith (Green), Anja Schaefer (Liberal Democrat), Yvonne Wilding (Social Democratic Party)

This renamed seat takes on Great Missenden from the Chesham and Amersham constituency, Wendover from the Aylesbury seat and Haddenham and Princes Risborough from what we used to call Buckingham.

That constituency had been Conservative since 1970, aside from a 10-year period when the Speaker John Bercow was its MP, making elections largely uncontested in the seat.

Milton Keynes Central (Majority N/A)

Candidates: Frances Bonney (Green), James Cox (Liberal Democrat), Emily Darlington (Labour), Johnny Luk (Conservative), David Reilly (Reform UK), Alfred Saint-Clair (Heritage Party)

People living in Campbell Park, Woughton and Fishermead, Monkston and Shenley Brook End in Milton Keynes will be voting, for the first time, for an MP specifically for the centre of the city.

It's an area that includes the Centre MK shopping centre, but also new housing developments around Campbell Park, plus it is still feeling the impacts of the cost of living emergency declared here in 2022.

The city, as a whole, has had Conservative MPs since 2010, but with Labour in particular and the Liberal Democrats having more seats on the council, they will both be aiming for change on 4 July.

Emma Jones, who works in childcare in Milton Keynes North, doesn't expect much to change in her sector

Milton Keynes North (Majority 6,255, currently Conservative)

Candidates: Chris Curtis (Labour), Jane Duckworth (Reform UK), Ben Everitt (Conservative), Alan Francis (Green), Clare Tevlin (Liberal Democrat)

If you live in places like Newport Pagnell, Stony Stratford, Wolverton and Hanslope, then this is your seat.

Its population is due to increase rapidly thanks to 5,000 new homes being built by junction 14 of the M1.

Labour runs the city council so will fancy its chances, while the Lib Dems are the official opposition, but have struggled to make much of an impact in general elections since the coalition years.

The Conservative candidate missed BBC Three Counties Radio's recent debate.

Emma Jones, 33, who works at Acorn Nursery in Emberton, hopes whoever wins will bring change to childcare, but is not optimistic.

"When people get voted in the party has a short amount of time to establish change and try and fix what has already been broken almost beyond repair," she said.

"But then the leadership changes and everything is left by the wayside and nothing is followed through and nothing is carried on."

Janine Flanders feels more voters need to come out in Wycombe for political change in the town

Wycombe (Majority 4,214, currently Conservative)

Candidates: Khalil Ahmed (Workers Party), Steve Baker (Conservative), Toni Brodelle (Liberal Democrat), Catherine Bunting (Green), Ed Gemmell (Climate Party), Richard Phoenix (Reform UK), Ajaz Rehman (Indpendent), Emma Reynolds (Labour), Mark Smallwood (Independent)

Wycombe has had a Conservative MP since 1951, but Labour in particular are targeting this seat, choosing a former MP as their candidate.

Members of a book club in the town told the BBC they felt it was time for change, but weren't sure whether it would happen.

Janine Flanders, 40, felt it was possible for Labour to win in Wycombe but that "more people would have to come out to vote" for that to happen.

Her friend Alissa Stephenson, 56, said whoever won needed to sort out "the general state of the town - that just feels run down and not looked after", adding that education was suffering due to a "lack of teachers and support for children as well."