Lib Dem candidate confirmed for South West Norfolk

Josie Ratcliffe, a serving councillor from Downham Market, has been selected to be the parliamentary candidate for the Liberal Democrats in South West Norfolk.

She joins Labour's Terry Jermy, Independent James Bagge and Reform candidate Toby McKenzie in vying to topple Ms Truss in a contest that will be in the national spotlight due to Ms Truss' short-lived spell as prime minister.

Liz Truss hopes to keep her South West Norfolk seat

It is the second time Ms Ratcliffe has stood in the constituency. In 2019, she gained 8.1pc of the vote.

She said: “The British people have shown remarkable decency and strength in these very tough times. Now, more than ever, people deserve a fair deal.

"I will fight for our community, our businesses and our environment.”

Josie Ratcliffe is a councillor representing East Downham at West Norfolk Council (Image: Liberal Democrats)

Key issues for Ms Ratcliffe include tackling NHS waiting lists and ending west Norfolk's status as a "dental desert", as well as supporting the rebuild of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and finding long-term solutions to end the cost of living crisis.

Liz Truss has been the South West Norfolk MP since 2010 and the Tories have held the constituency since the 1960s.

READ MORE: Globe-trotting Liz Truss insists 'majority' of her time spent working for Norfolk

But the latest polls suggest she is likely to face a much closer contest than in 2019, when she received 69pc of the vote.

She is up against Mr Bagge, who was among the so-called Turnip Taliban who opposed Ms Truss's selection by local Tories before she was elected in 2010.

Independent candidate James Bagge (left) and Labour candidate Terry Jermy (right) (Image: James Bagge/Labour)

He has waged an unusual campaign, embarking on a 150-mile walk visiting towns and villages in the constituency to learn about their concerns.

While Labour candidate Mr Jermy, who is well-known in his home town of Thetford through his role as a town and district councillor for Breckland, has said he has seen a recent surge in support following the publicity campaign for Ms Truss' memoir, Ten Years to Save the West.