Anglia Late Edition - April 2024

Watch the latest Anglia Late Edition - the regional politics programme covering issues affecting the East of England. Presented by Political Correspondent Emma Hutchinson

This programme was broadcast in the ITV Anglia region on Thursday 18 April 2024

The local council elections and police & crime commissioner elections on Thursday 2 May will provide an insight into what lies ahead for the political parties in the forthcoming general election.

Nearly 500 councillors will be elected on 18 local councils across the ITV Anglia region. There are also eight police and crime commissioners covering each of the police force areas.

The results could have wider implications for the timing and potential outcome of the next general election which must be held before January 2025.

Across England there will be elections for 107 local authorities, nine combined authority mayors, one directly elected local authority mayor, the London mayor and Assembly along with 39 police and crime commissioners.

The Conservative MP for North Norfolk, Duncan Baker, conceded that this set of elections will be tricky for the Tories:

"It probably is if we're honest about it.

"I'm not sure we're expecting to make losses but of course in local elections analysts will make a huge amount of game on what happens but I think the local element is very important."

Anglia Late Edition also explored the government's new law to ban smoking by raising the age limit for buying tobacco by one year every year starting with anyone currently aged 15 or under.

The first stage of the new legislation passed through the House of Commons with a huge majority but a quarter of the Conservative MPs in the Anglia region voted against it.

Sunak’s smoking ban plan clears first Commons hurdle, despite dividing Tory MPs
Emma Hutchinson was joined on Anglia Late Edition by Gen Kitchen MP (Lab), Duncan Baker MP (Con) and Cllr Pippa Heylings (Lib Dem) Credit: ITV News Anglia

Emma Hutchinson was joined by three politicans from the East of England on the programme:

  • Gen Kitchen is the new Labour MP for Wellingborough having won a by-election in February 2024 in what has been a Conservative seat for 18 years

  • Duncan Baker has been the Conservative MP for North Norfolk since the 2019 general election after the Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb stepped down after 18 years

  • Pippa Heylings is a Liberal Democrat councillor in South Cambridgeshire and is contesting the constituency at the next general election. South Cambridgeshire is in the most marginal Conservative seat in the ITV Anglia region.

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