Battleground Anglia: Witham

The Conservatives won the Witham constituency in Essex at the 2010 General Election with a majority of more than 15,000 votes. Credit: ITV News Anglia

The constituency of Witham is one of the safest Conservative seats in the Anglia region. It was created for the 2010 General Election after Essex was granted an additional seat in boundary changes.

It is centred on the town of Witham and covers a largely rural area of mid-Essex bordering on the larger towns of Colchester, Braintree and Maldon.

  • Conservative majority in 2010: 15,196

  • Witham in the 12th safest seat of the 69 in the Anglia region

  • Labour would need a swing of 17% to win in 2015 and the Lib Dem would need a 16% swing

Priti Patel won the seat for the Conservatives and entered Parliament for the first time in 2010. She gained 52.2% of the vote with the Liberal Democrats in second place.

She was appointed to a junior ministerial post in the Treasury in July 2014.

Candidates in 2015

  • James Abbot - Green

  • John Clarke - Labour

  • Garry Cockrill - UKIP

  • Jo Hayes - Liberal Democrats

  • Prit Patel - Conservative

  • Doreen Scrimshaw - Christian Peoples Alliance