General Election 2024: 10 seats to watch in the West Midlands and why

The polls have now closed for the General Election 2024 and it doesn’t look reassuring for Rishi Sunak as the exit poll shows Labour is predicted for a landslide victory.

ITV News Central has analysed some of the most significant seats in the West Midlands and here are the 10 to watch overnight:

• Worcester

Worcester has been a bellwether since 1979.

It has accurately voted for the winning party for more than 40 years.

At the 1997 general election, attracting the support of the so-called “Worcester woman” was considered by Labour to be vital for victory nationwide.

In 2019, the Conservatives won the seat with a majority of more than 6,500 votes.

It was won by Robin Walker who isn't running again this time round.

At this election, Labour needs a swing of 6.7 points to take Worcester from the Conservatives, ranking it at number 70 on the party’s target list.

Sir Keir Starmer held two campaign events in Worcester soon after the election was called.

• North Herefordshire

The North Herefordshire constituency formed in 2010 but is largely based on the Leominster constituency, which has voted Conservative since 1910.

Bill Wiggin has been the MP for the area since 2001 and won with a 63% majority at the last election.

However, the Green Party has made the constituency one of its four main targets at this election and has been campaigning in the area for the past two years.

• Birmingham Northfield

This is one of only two Conservative seats in Birmingham.

The Conservatives only just took it in 2019 by a majority of 1,640 - with 19,957 votes.

Labour was just behind with 18,317 votes. Before 2019, the area had been Labour since 1992.

There was a turnout in the 2019 election of 58.5%.

• Birmingham Yardley

This seat has been held by prominent Labour MP Jess Phillips since 2015.

She has a majority of 10,659 but faces a threat from those angry with Labour's position on the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Before the election was called, Phillips resigned from the shadow cabinet over its position.

The constituency previously elected a Liberal Democrat MP in 2005 and 2010 - so could this area change hands again?

• North Shropshire

The constituency was served by the same Conservative MP, Owen Paterson, from 1997 until his resignation in 2021.

Mr Paterson was found by the Commons standards watchdog to have repeatedly broken lobbying rules by advocating for two companies which were paying him more than £100,000 a year.

Following a furious public reaction, the government announced Mr Paterson's recommended suspension would be put to another vote.

After losing government support, the veteran Tory decided it was time to quit Parliament after his children asked him to "leave politics altogether, for my sake as well as theirs".

During the by-election voters elected Lib Dem MP Helen Morgan.

Will the constituency go back to their old ways of voting, or stay with their new party?

• Walsall and Bloxwich

This new constituency is made up of Walsall North and Walsall South. Both of these constituencies voted in different ways in 2019.

Walsall North voted for the conservatives with a majority of 11,965 and a turnout of 54.4%.

Meanwhile, Walsall South had a labour hold since 2010, and voted for the party with a majority of 3,456 and a turnout of 62.4%.

Which way will they vote this time?

• Wolverhampton North East

This constituency is known for flip-flopping between Labour and Conservatives.

Since 1950 there have been two Conservative MPs and four Labour.

In the 2017 general election general election Labour held a majority of 4,587.

But, in 2019 the conservatives gained a majority of 4,080.

• Tamworth

The area was historically Conservative with the party winning the 2019 election with a majority of 19,634.

Chris Pincher took 30,542 votes, whilst Labour candidate Christopher Bain followed with 10,908. But, in September 2023 MP Chris Pincher resigned over groping allegations.

Mr Pincher was the Conservative Government’s deputy chief whip when he was accused of drunkenly assaulting two men at the exclusive Carlton Club in London.

In October 2023, a by-election was called with Labour winning by a majority of 1,316.

It was a shock defeat for the Conservatives, who will be hoping to win the area back.

• Stoke-on-Trent North

This area is a key part of the so called 'red wall', first voting Conservative back in 2019.

During that election the Conservatives won by a majority of 6,286. Before that it has been Labour since 1950.

• Stoke-on-Trent South

This area was also part of the Labour heartland, but went to the Conservative party earlier than its neighbours, in 2017.

This was by a majority of 663, and a turnout of 63.1%.

Four years later in 2019, the area decided to remain Conservative with a majority of 11,271.

Since then, boundary changes mean it is now made up of more Conservative voting wards.

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