Oxford East campaign run-down ahead of General Election

There are 12 candidates running to be the next MP for the 'safe' Labour seat - more than in any other Oxfordshire constituency.

Anneliese Dodds won the seat in 2019 for Labour with a large majority of 17,832 votes and Labour is polling very well nationally, predicted to win by a landslide.

Anneliese Dodds. (Image: Newsquest.)

READ MORE: Oxford Labour politician says Muslim Vote could be 'racist'

But some candidates have recently become disillusioned with the Labour party in Oxford due to what they perceive to be a disappointing stance on Gaza and traffic policies in the city.

In May, local elections the new Independent Oxford Alliance party managed to beat four Labour candidates to seats in east Oxford and Cowley wards.

Despite this, the YouGov poll predicts Ms Dodds is likely to gain 57.3 per cent of the vote which equates to a 0.3 per cent increase.

The IOA at its launch in November. (Image: IOA.)

Initially the poll had even missed off Independent candidates all together but this has now been updated to predict independents will receive 11.8 per cent of the vote, trailing behind the Liberal Democrats who are predicted 13.1 per cent.

It has the Conservatives falling behind last at 6.6 per cent which is a decrease from their 2019 result of 20.9 per cent.

The first hustings for Oxford East were held three weeks ago around the theme of 'Peace and the Environment'.

Oxford. (Image: Ed Nix.)

The discussion focused heavily on the topic of Gaza with many of the questions directed towards the incumbent MP Anneliese Dodds.

Conservative candidate Louise Brown did not make a showing at the event and there was also no Reform UK candidate present - Oxford East is the only Oxfordshire constituency to not stand one.

Since then there have been a few other hustings including one focused around the issue of the Black Vote which Independent candidate Jabu Nala-Hartley has suggested should be given due consideration.

Ms Nala-Hartley previously said she thinks knife crime should be made a mental health issue.

Louise Brown. (Image: Contribution.)

There are two city councillors who are running to be MP - David Henwood for the IOA and Theo Jupp for the Liberal Democrats.

This is after they gained their seats in May local elections.

The Greens also saw some gains in Oxford local elections and the Lib Dems made a number of gains across the county so they could see an increase in support compared to 2019 come July 4.

Other key issues being discussed are the balance between building new homes and preserving green spaces.

Theo Jupp. (Image: Contribution.)

Labour has pledged to build 1.5million more homes if elected on July 4 and this ethos has also been present in Oxford's Labour administration which says it is prioritising affordable housing.

The Green Party is keen to preserve green spaces but does not appear to agree net migration is one of the key causes of an increase in demand.

Oxford East Conservative candidate Louise Brown does think that migration has had an impact on the "housing crisis".

Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm on the day of election with the government requiring that you must bring with you photo ID.

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About the author

Noor is the Local Democracy Reporter for Oxfordshire who covers political stories from across the county. 

She began working as a journalist in Oxford in September 2023 having graduated from the University of Oxford.

Noor was trained at the News Associates journalism school and can be found on X through the handle @NoorJQurashi