New candidates hoping to make history in Bury St Edmunds

But Mrs Churchill isn't standing this time and there have been changes to it - the Boundary Commission didn't do headline-writers any favours when they changed the constituency's name to Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket!

The Commission also took Needham Market and some villages out of the former seat - but probably hasn't changed its character radically.

And those contesting this election will be looking back to 1997 - the last Labour landslide - and point out that then the Conservatives had a majority of only 368 over Labour.

Then, as now, there was a new Conservative candidate and the party was not popular nationally.

Will Tanner is the new Conservative candidate for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket. (Image: Paul Geater)

This time Will Tanner was chosen at the last minute to be the party's standard bearer. Until last week he was Rishi Sunak's deputy chief of staff - but was not well known in Suffolk.

He is, however, stressing his local connections - his grandparents lived near Stowmarket and he regularly visited the area as a child.

That hasn't stopped grumbling in the constituency about a "London Insider" being parachuted in - but with nominations closing last week there is nothing anyone can do about that.

Mr Tanner is adamant that if he is elected his constituency will be at the heart of his political life: "If I'm lucky enough to be elected, my family will move here and make our home here.

"If elected my whole emphasis will be working on constituency issues - I do know my way around Westminster so that should help. But the constituency will be my complete focus."

He is keen to get involved in constituency issues across the area - which is much wider than the town of Bury St Edmunds itself.

Stowmarket town centre has some empty shops - prompting Mr Tanner to offer to help it seek new investment. (Image: Newsquest)

He said: "Stowmarket is a town that has a great deal going for it, but there are quite a number of empty shops in the town centre and I want to help with getting them filled.

"And I also want to ensure that development and housebuilding is done in a way that residents support - it should not be forced on them."

Health is also a key issue in the seat - and Mr Tanner promised to continue the push to get the West Suffolk Hospital redeveloped.

Labour is more confident about the contest in the seat than it has been for many years and its candidate Dr Peter Prinsley puts the NHS at the centre of his campaign.

Dr Peter Prinsley (right) with supporters campaigning in Bury St Edmunds town centre. (Image: Paul Geater)

He is a consultant working in East Anglian hospitals and said he would ensure an incoming Labour government got on with hospital building programmes.

He said: "The difference is that the Conservatives talk about building hospitals and Labour builds them.

"When Labour was in power a new hospital was built in Norwich, a new medical school was created there and waiting lists were almost ended."

He had been impressed by the level of support he was finding on the doorstep - and was confident that his party's policies were supported by local residents.

There are six other candidates standing in the seat:  Peter McDonald (LD), Emma Buckmaster (G), Scott Hussey (RUK), Darren Turner (Comm), Richard Baker-Howard (REU), and Jeremy Lee (I).

Looking back at the 1997 election in that year the Liberal Democrats did quite well and there was also a significant vote for Sir James Goldsmith's Referendum Party.

Since then politics in the area have changed - the Green Party has become stronger and in 2019 the LibDems stood aside for them.

That pact is not being repeated this time and the Greens are concentrating their efforts on the neighbouring Waveney Valley seat.

There will also be interest this time on whether Reform UK can attract enough votes to be a factor in the overall result.