What people think of next PM Rishi Sunak in the most marginal seat in the North East

As Richmond MP Rishi Sunak takes his place at Number 10 Downing Street, ITV News has asked people in Blyth for their opinion on the new Prime Minister.

Blyth Valley voted in a Conservative MP for the first time in the 2019 General Election.

It is the most marginal seat of the region, with a majority of just over 700 votes.

Since Boris Johnson's resignation as Prime Minister in July and Liz Truss' leadership ending after only 45 days, there have been calls for a general election.

Voters in Blyth have been thinking about what Mr Sunak, who will become Prime Minister on Tuesday 25 October, would have to do to keep a Conservative majority in the area.

One woman said: "He needs to look at the cost of living, the cost of fuel, the food crisis, the energy bills that are soaring because people round here are really, really struggling.

"There are so many kids that are not being fed what they should be fed so I would say it's just about generally tackling that cost of living at the moment."

Another voter added: "He has got a hard job coming to the winter.

"If he does fix the problems, and he does help with the fuel crisis and the gas and electricity and all that sort of stuff, he probably could get the votes again but it's going to be very hard for him when it comes to the next general election."

One man said: "Compare the funding that the south get to the funding that the north get, it's still quite bad.

"Give it time, you can't judge people on five minutes of being in power, it will take him years."

Rishi Sunak is due to become the new Prime Minister after both Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt pulled out of the Conservative leadership contest that was sparked by Liz Truss' resignation on 20 October.

On Monday, he made his first address to the country as Prime Minister, stating: "It is the greatest privilege of my life, to be able to serve the party I love and give back to the country I owe so much to.

"The United Kingdom is a great country but there is no doubt we face a profound economic challenge.

"We now need stability and unity and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together."

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