General election: What to look out for in Essex

The race is on for all 18 Essex constituencies

Voters go to the polls in Essex on 4 July in perhaps the county's closest general election race in a generation.

Essex is a Conservative stronghold, with all 18 constituencies having had Tory MPs since 2015.

Labour has not had an MP anywhere in Essex since 2010, with Harlow, and South Basildon and East Thurrock, the last to turn blue.

But with high profile visits to Southend and Thurrock in recent weeks by Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner, it is clear the county is back in play.

Essex constituencies for 2024 and Tory majorities

• Basildon and Billericay (20,412)

• Braintree (26,673)

• Brentwood and Ongar (29,065)

• Castle Point (26,634)

• Chelmsford (17,621)

• Clacton (24,702)

• Colchester (9,423)

• Epping Forest (22,173)

• Harlow (14,063)

• Harwich and North Essex (20,182)

• Maldon (30,041)

• North West Essex, formerly Saffron Walden (27,594)

• Rayleigh and Wickford (31,000)

• Rochford and Southend East (12,286)

• South Basildon and East Thurrock (19,922)

• Southend West and Leigh (12,282)

• Thurrock (11,482)

• Witham (24,082)

Whatever happens at the ballot box this time around, there will be new MPs in the county - as five have announced they are not seeking re-election.

John Baron, who was a Conservative MP since 2001, decided he would not stand again for Basildon and Billericay.

Rochford and Southend East's Sir James Duddridge and Colchester's Will Quince have also decided to step away from Parliament.

Robert Halfon, the former MP for Harlow, has also gone, with Dame Eleanor Laing, the former Epping Forest MP and deputy speaker in the Commons, the latest to go.

This election will also feature candidates for Reform UK, formerly the Brexit Party, standing in every seat in the county for the first time, and they will aim to put pressure on incumbent Tories in places like Clacton and Castle Point.

Green candidates in places like Witham and some interesting Independents should make for an exciting election night in the county.

Places to watch

Thurrock councillors celebrate their local election win

Labour won outright control of Thurrock in this year's local elections amid the effective bankruptcy of the local unitary authority.

Sir Keir Starmer chose to re-launch his party's priorities here and will be hoping Labour can repeat the achievement in the general election.

Colchester was the last non-Tory seat in Essex, with long-serving Liberal Democrat, Sir Bob Russell, losing in 2015.

The city council is Lib Dem run, but Labour has high hopes of claiming the seat from the Conservatives.

The Conservatives held on to Harlow in the local elections in what was seen as a big win for the Tories on a difficult night.

But the decision by Robert Halfon to stand down as MP will be seen as a blow by the local party, and Labour will look to capitalise on delays to a new hospital first championed by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Places like Southend East could be close in this year's election

Southend has never had a Labour MP, but in just over a fortnight the shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves and deputy leader Angela Rayner have visited the city, to support their candidate for Rochford and Southend East.

With the Conservatives still to announce a successor to Sir James Duddridge, and the local association chairman resigning after claiming he was subjected to bullying and homophobia, there is a chance of an upset.

Chelmsford could also be in play with the Liberal Democrats hopeful of doing well in a city where they continue to run the council, but they will have to turn over a large Conservative majority.