West Norfolk candidates are gearing up for six weeks of intense campaigning after Rishi Sunak announced a general election.
On Wednesday evening, the Prime Minister confirmed the election would take place on July 4 after he had a request to the King to dissolve parliament accepted.
A hotly-contested battle in the South West Norfolk constituency will see Liz Truss fight to keep her seat.
She faces competition from independent candidate James Bagge, Labour’s Terry Jermy, Liberal Democrat Josie Ratcliffe and Reform UK’s Toby McKenzie.
Meanwhile, in North West Norfolk, fellow Conservative MP James Wild is up against Labour’s Tim Leaver, Liberal Democrat Rob Colwell, Phil Walton of Reform UK and Karl Wilkin of the Workers Party of Britain.
The election will follow a difficult period for the Conservatives, who have suffered two defections by backbench MPs and a drubbing at local elections this month.
Polls continue to suggest the Tories are on course to lose the forthcoming vote, with Labour retaining a double-digit polling lead.
Mr Bagge has promised “some very intensive canvassing” starting around three weeks from now.
“I am excited about it, and I welcome the opportunity to get the electorate to choose me rather than Liz Truss,” he told the Lynn News.
“It is quite clear from what we have heard on the doorstep that she is hugely unpopular, and the people are looking for someone who puts people’s interests ahead of their own.
“Bring it on!”
Ms Truss, who has been the South West Norfolk MP since 2010 and served as Prime Minister briefly in 2022, said: “I am looking forward to campaigning to be re-elected as the Conservative MP for South West Norfolk.
“I will be running on my record of standing up for local residents over the past fourteen years.
“From securing a new Queen Elizabeth Hospital for King's Lynn, to achieving a new banking hub in Downham Market and winning £20million funding for a new Town Deal for Thetford, I have a record of delivery across South West Norfolk.
“Only by returning a Conservative MP on July 4 can residents be guaranteed a strong voice for South West Norfolk in Westminster who has a track record of fighting for lower taxes, controlling our borders and traditional conservative values.”
Meanwhile, Ms Ratcliffe - who represents the East Downham ward on West Norfolk Council \- has promised to be a “full-time MP” for the area.
She said: “I'm sure many people are breathing a sigh of relief that we finally know the date of the general election but Rishi Sunak's announcement seemed as poorly organised as many other government actions in recent weeks and months.
“I believe this is the time for change in South West Norfolk. I have been serving our community as a local councillor for five years already and I would be honoured to be elected to represent this area at Westminster.
“I promise to be a full-time MP for this constituency, which we have not had for many years.”
Mr Jermy says his campaign will be tailored around three key priorities \- boosting the NHS, improving jobs and pay, and focusing on farming and the environment.
He said: “Politics for me is about being able to help people, solve problems and bring people together through hard work and co-operation.
“I would like to think I have built a reputation for getting things done as a local councillor. These are skills and attributes I will deploy if successfully elected to serve the constituency.
“I’ve lived in South West Norfolk my whole life and my family are rooted across the constituency. I’m passionate about our shared community. It is where I call home and it is the reason I first entered politics.
“From running my own business, to volunteering my time with local charities and serving as a local councillor, I know and understand the area and the people who live here.
“Aside from my role as a local councillor I run my own business – producing a monthly magazine that is distributed to 13,000 homes locally. I work with more than 80 small businesses every month and understand the challenges they face.”
Mr Wild also faces stiff competition in the North West Norfolk constituency as opponents seek to use sinking opinions of the Tory party to their advantage.
Mr Colwell, who represents Gaywood on the borough and county councils, said: “I’m proud to be a local candidate campaigning for action to tackle the cost of living crisis, the NHS crisis and the sewage scandal.
“For years our area has been taken for granted by an out-of-touch Conservative Government that has failed to get the basics right and lurched from crisis to crisis - now it’s time for a change.
“Local health services like our QEH have been brought to their knees, people’s mortgages and rent have skyrocketed and water companies have been allowed to pump their filthy sewage into our rivers and beaches. All this by a Conservative government more interested in fighting between themselves than standing up for the country.
“Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote for a fair deal. It’s a vote for a party that will stand up for our community and our health services.”
Mr Wild, who was first elected to parliament back in 2019, said: “I am delighted to be standing at the general election four and a half years since the people of North West Norfolk put their trust in me.
“During that time, I am pleased to have secured a commitment to a new QEH, £70million regeneration funds for Lynn, school rebuilding projects, better bus and rail services, and more.
“Now I am campaigning to be re-elected to ensure those improvements and particularly QEH are delivered as well as looking to secure more investment to promote opportunity, investment, and jobs locally in the future.
“After really tough economic times, the economy is turning a corner with inflation back to a normal level, wages increasing, and the economy growing. This election is about who has a clear plan and is willing to take bold action to secure a better future in an increasingly unstable world.
“I am looking forward to getting out on the campaign trail across the whole constituency talking to voters about what I’ve delivered as a MP and the Conservative plans for the future.”
Mr Leaver, a business owner, says he is “ready” for the election and will be out on the doorstep speaking to voters about “how we can change this country together”.
He said: “It has been a long time coming! People are tired of the Tory chaos. Voters have been waiting for this election so they can go out on polling day and vote for change.
“My campaign is driven by local people, from King’s Lynn to Hunstanton and from West Winch to The Burnhams.
“People are coming over to Labour in their droves, because they see that we are a changed Labour Party, ready to serve and ready to change Britain. Only Labour can beat the Tories in North West Norfolk and deliver that change.
“I’m excited to get going on sharing Labour’s manifesto offerings very soon while I fight for every vote. I aim to build trust across our communities and show that the Labour Party is back in the service of working people.”
He added: “It’s time for change in North West Norfolk and if elected as your Labour MP, I will make that change happen.
“No more dither and delay, but straight to work rebuilding the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, fixing our broken NHS and getting it on its feet.
“Delivering a new deal for working people that makes work pay and puts an end to the Tories’ cost of living crisis that too many are still struggling through.
“I’m also determined to help a Labour government deliver more affordable housing, clean up our beaches and coastlines and get urgent investment in our sea defences and flood alleviation.”
All other South West and North West Norfolk candidates have been contacted for comment.
There will also be battles for seats in the Mid Norfolk constituency, which includes Necton and Ashill, and Broadland, which is Fakenham’s constituency.
The Broadland seat will be contested by current Tory MP Jerome Mayhew, Labour’s Iain Simpson, Reform UK’s Eric Philip Ashwell Masters, Lib Dem’s Leyla Hannbeck, and the Green Party’s Jan Davis.
Conservative George Freeman will be fighting to keep his Mid Norfolk seat from Labour’s Michael Rosen, Reform UK’s Kabeer Kher and Simon Blackwell of the Workers Party.
The South Holland and the Deepings constituency in Lincolnshire, which covers Sutton Bridge, also has a Tory MP in Sir John Hayes.
On July 4, he will battle Labour’s Paul Hilliar, independent candidate Mark Le Sage, Jack Braginton of the Lib Dems, and Rhys Rhobat Baker of the Green Party.
Green Party candidates are expected to run in every constituency, meaning some could still emerge in the South and West Norfolk battles before the election.
The party has been contacted for comment.
Additional reporting by Rebekah Chilvers