Yahoo News State of play in Gloucestershire on the eve of the general election as Tory MPs face wipeout
Voters head to the polls across Gloucestershire on Thursday (July 4) to elect who will represent them in Parliament. Going into this election, all of the county's MPs were Conservative but this could soon change.
Several pollsters predict it will be a very bad night for the Tories and some expect that only one of the six incumbents, if any at all, will retain their seat in Gloucestershire. Whoever wins, the county will have an extra MP after the Cotswold constituency was split north and south and the boundaries redrawn.
The Conservatives are campaigning on their local track record and successes such as achieving funding for the A417 missing link and several levelling up funding schemes. They have also had visits from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and former PMs David Cameron and Theresa May.
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Labour are heavily targeting seats they used to hold such as Gloucester, Stroud and the Forest of Dean while the Liberal Democrats have their sights set on Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and both Cotswold seats. The opposition has focussed their campaign on what they see as the Tories’ appalling track record in government over the last 14 years.
The Green Party in Stroud has called on voters to vote for them as they believe a Labour landslide is unavoidable and they are hoping to be the second most voted for party. But in the Forest of Dean they believe it will be a four horse race and that they really have a chance.
Reform UK, the latest incarnation of the Brexit Party, is also fielding candidates in all the county’s seats apart from Cheltenham. There also candidates from smaller parties and independents standing across Gloucestershire.
Conservative Richard Graham, who is hoping to be re-elect as the city’s MP, called on voters to back him to ensure he can continue on the work he has done for Gloucester.
He said: “Thursday July 4, is the moment to set me to work again for you and for Gloucester - to complete the changes we’ve started, from City Campus to railway station underpass, the regeneration of Podsmead and improvement of the Eastgate Centre, a dental skills hub and a medical innovation centre to speed up health access - and implementing the action plan on illegal and anti social behaviour in the city centre. For real, deliverable change from a trusted MP please vote for me.”
Alex McIntyre, Labour’s candidate for Gloucester, says tomorrow residents have a choice of five more years of chaos with the Tories or change with his party. “If you vote Conservative or don’t vote at all, nothing will change. Don’t forget Liz Truss' disastrous mini budget, the cronyism, the scandals, and the record NHS waiting lists.
“Together, we can stop the chaos and start building a better future for Gloucester with an MP and government focused on tackling the cost of living crisis, cutting NHS waiting lists, and dealing with crime and anti-social behaviour in our city.”
Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk, Conservative candidate for Cheltenham, is calling on voters to back him to ensure the spa town has a strong voice in Westminster. “Pick someone who will stand up for the people of Cheltenham and hold a Labour government to account,” he said.
“And don’t turn Cheltenham into a one party Liberal Democrat state.”
Max Wilkinson, Liberal Democrat candidate for Cheltenham, says he has served the spa town for more than a decade helping it make progress on issues such as the environment and affordable homes. “At this election the Liberal Democrats are standing for a fair deal on the NHS, action on the cost of living and stopping the national sewage dumping scandal," he said.
"Whatever the polls say, it’s always close between the Lib Dems and the Conservatives here." In the Forest of Dean, Conservative Mark Harper says he is pleased with how the campaign has gone.
“We are getting our message over," he said. "Voters are clear we will cut their taxes while Labour will put their taxes up.
“Voters who share conservative values are also understanding that if they stay at home or vote for someone other than me they will end up with a Labour MP.”
Labour say their campaign with Forest candidate Matt Bishop has consistently shown that voters want change. “The NHS and the cost of living have been regular topics brought up on the doorstep, but in this rural constituency bordered by the river Wye and the river Severn, environmental issues and pollution are also key talking points,” a spokesperson said.
“The polls have been showing that it’s a contest between Labour and the Tories and with the potential for it being a tight result, if local people want change to happen they need to vote for it.”
Liberal Democrat stalwart Paul Hodgkinson says he has been working very hard to win the new North Cotswolds seat which is the target seat for Tory Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown who held the now defunct Cotswolds seat.
“There’s been lots of support and I’ve been delighted to get the backing of tactical voting organisations like Best for Britain," he said. "People have recognised that I have 17 years of creditable experience as a councillor and am totally committed to the area having lived in the constituency for the last 35 years.
“They have told me they like my priorities of NHS and social care, the cost of living crisis and cleaning up the sewage scandal in our rivers. It’s going to be very close between Lib Dem and Conservative and we are campaigning hard to offer the best chance of change in this constituency on July 4th.”
And Tewkesbury Lib Dem candidate Cameron Thomas has thanked everyone who joined and supported his campaign. He is hoping to overturn a 22,410 majority in that seat which has been held by the Tories for 139 years.
“Together we have returned hope to the people of Tewkesbury and delivered them a genuine opportunity to step into the future, and elect a Liberal Democrat MP," he said. "That would not have happened without you."
Forest of Dean Green Party candidate Chris McFarling has called on voters to have courage and vote for him. "We can really win here," he said.
"This is genuinely a four horse race. We are strong here as many people are begining to understand.
"If there is going to be a Labour supermajority, it's worth voting for a Green Party candidate to hold them to account."
Stroud's Green Party candidate Pete Kennedy said every vote for his party sends a powerful message to Westminster. "It says we demand better than Sir Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak," he said. "It says Stroud Constituency is leading the way to a greener, fairer future. This Thursday, let's make that message impossible to ignore."
Dursley GP Simon Opher, who is Labour's candidate in Stroud, said people have a choice on Thursday between chaos and waste with the Tories or Labour's fully funded plan to rebuild Britain.
“In Stroud constituency, about 30 per cent of voters are still undecided, so it really could go either way. The only way to be sure of delivering the change we need is to vote Labour - a vote for any other party risks another five years of Tory failure. So please, vote for me and be part of the change we need.”
Information on all the candidates standing in each of the consituencies can be found by clicking on the name of each seat: Cheltenham, Gloucester, Forest of Dean, North Cotswolds, South Cotswolds, Stroud and Tewkesbury. Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm on July 4.
Voters must take photo ID to be able to cast their vote.
You'll be able to follow live coverage of the General Election here on Gloucestershire Live. We'll bring you live results from Gloucester, Cheltenham, Stroud, Forest of Dean, Tewkesbury, North Cotswolds and South Cotswolds. Members of Parliament are being elected in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales in 650 constituencies.
