Life in Britain

Sedgefield was the constituency of Tony Blair and is seen as a safe seat for Labour. The Conservative candidate is Paul Howell, who is a councillor. If he wins, he will be the first Conservative MP since 1931 in the constituency. The current MP is Phil Wilson, who has been MP since Blair stepped down in 2007. He got 45 percent of the vote in the 2007 By-election and retained the same percentage in the 2010 General Election. In 2015, Wilson's vote share was 47 percent while in 2017, it rose to 53 percent.

Mark Dormer, the Conservative candidate from Leeds West is a supporter of Brexit and says it is his first priority whereas Ian Cowling of the Yorkshire Party does not mention Brexit at all in his statement. Both though are talking about the lack of jobs and the lack of successful businesses in the constituency. https://westleedsdispatch.com/general-election-2019-leeds-west-candidate-statements/ Transportation seems to be a major handicap in the constituency while disillusionment with Westminster comes through in the statements of all parties. Dan Walker of the Liberal Democrats warns that Brexit will impact the poorer sections most. The bookies are backing Labour to win the seat. 40-year old Rachel Reeves is the current Labour MP and has been MP since 2010. Her younger sister, Ellie Reeves and Brother-in-Law John Cryer are Labour MPs too.