North Yorkshire general election debate

There was always going to be plenty of attention focused on the
North Yorkshire seat of Richmond and Northallerton at this general election.

That is because since 2015 it has been represented by
the Conservative politician who is now prime minister – Rishi Sunak.

The prime minister being a candidate guarantees a couple of
things.

First: there will be a cast of comedy characters standing, and second: a big pack of
reporters – local, national and international – will be there to capture their reaction to
general election victory – or defeat.

Normally, with a majority of more than 27,000 in the former
Richmond constituency, a comfortable Conservative win in Richmond and
Northallerton would have been expected.

But this is not a normal general election, as pressure – both
from the opinion polls and events such as the prime minister’s early return
from the D-Day commemorations – is putting Conservatives across the country into a defensive
position in many seats.

That means there is extra focus on local issues in the fight
for the Richmond and Northallerton constituency, such as public transport, rural crime, Northallerton’s Friarage Hospital and the future of the armed forces – with Catterick Garrison part of the constituency.

Labour has generally come second to the Conservatives in the
former Richmond seat – although UKIP pushed Labour into third in 2015.

The area
– shown in the councillors it has returned over the years – has revealed strong
support for local, independent candidates.

So, all eyes will be on Richmond and Northallerton when –
sometime after 05:00 BST on Friday 5 July – its result is declared.

It is then that the prime
minister will learn whether he has successfully defended his seat and he’s
heading back to Downing Street, or whether he is handing the keys of Number 10 to someone else.

A full list of candidates standing in the Richmond and Northallerton constituency can be found here.