The countdown has begun to the General Election, announced for Thursday, July 4 by the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Campaigning now begins in earnest, with candidates having just six weeks to fight for votes in their constituencies.

In the east Devon area, both the two existing MPs are targeting voters in each other's current constituency as well as their own, as a result of the change in boundaries to create a new Honiton and Sidmouth constituency.


Midweek Herald: The new Honiton & Sidmouth constituency

This constituency covers Cullompton, Honiton, Axminster and Seaton - currently in Liberal Democrat Richard Foord's Tiverton & Honiton constituency - as well as Sidmouth, Ottery St Mary and Aylesbeare, which are currently in Conservative Simon Jupp's East Devon constituency.

The contenders currently known to be standing for election in the new Honiton and Sidmouth constituency are as follows:

Simon Jupp - Conservative

Richard Foord - Liberal Democrat

Jake Bonetta - Labour

Henry Gent - Green Party

Paul Quickenden - Reform UK (no picture supplied)

Parliament will be 'dissolved' - the official term for closing it down ahead of an election - next Thursday, May 30. At that point all its MPs lose their status and become candidates.