The gloves are off. The gauntlet is down. The electoral battlelines of North Northumberland have been drawn. This time, it’s a record. As of nominations closing on 7June, eight candidates are vying to become North Northumberland’s next MP. From the circumstances surrounding the general election to the pool of local candidates, it looks like residents of Northumberland’s largest coastal constituency could be in for an interesting one.
Who is standing?
According to the statement of persons nominated and notice of poll, the eight candidates for North Northumberland are as follows; Katherine Hales for Reform UK, Georgina Hill as an independent candidate, Michael Joyce as an independent candidate, Andrew Martin for the Social Democratic Party, Jan Rosen for the Green Party, David Smith for the Labour Party, Anne-Marie Trevelyan for the Conservative Party and Natalie Younes for the Liberal Democrats.
A wide range of candidates, it seems, ranging all the way from the left to the centre to the right of the political spectrum.
A record number
Despite this being North Northumberland’s first election under the new constituency boundaries, it still breaks a whopping record when you take into account its predecessor constituency of Berwick-upon-Tweed. There is not much difference between the two constituencies with the only real differences being North Northumberland is the former Berwick-upon-Tweed constituency with Morpeth added on and some rural places taken off.
So, given that the two constituencies are more or less the same, give or take, let’s look at the history of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Not once, in its long history as a constituency has there ever been eight candidates in a general election. There hasn’t even been seven. 2024 is the first time when North Northumbrian voters, as North Northumberland or Berwick-upon-Tweed, have had so much choice in a general election.
What does this mean for North Northumberland?
Honestly, who knows? It could mean anything. The wide range of centre to left-leaning candidates could well make it harder for Labour to win the constituency, meaning Anne-Marie Trevelyan’s main rival David Smith could have a tough fight on his hands. On the other hand, the selection of right-leaning candidates could hamper the incumbent MP’s efforts to return to Westminster and potentially deprive Rishi Sunak of another seat in parliament.
With such a large collection of candidates for North Northumberland this general election, the race will be very hot. Promises will be flying like birds, made as though they are coming from a factory machine. The question is, will these promises actually be delivered? And no matter who becomes the MP, will the people of North Northumberland, themselves, win?
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