Millions of voters across London are going to the polls to elect the new Government. The Standard is looking at key battleground seats in the capital. Here we turn the spotlight on:
RICHMOND PARK
Estimated declaration time 4am
Candidates for main parties (in alphabetical order):
Laura Coryton - Labour Party
Sara Gezdari - Conservative
Michael Hearn - Reform UK
Sarah Olney - Liberal Democrats
Chas Warlow - Green Party
Summary: This affluent area in south west London has been a seesaw marginal constituency after its creation in 1997, taking in swathes of two Conservative seats, Richmond and Barnes, and Kingston.
It was won in the Blair first landslide by Lib Dem Jenny Tonge and she held it until 2010.
But millionaire Tory environmentalist Zac Goldsmith ousted the Lib Dems that year and he was re-elected in 2015 amid the backlash against the Lib Dems for going into coalition with the Conservatives.
But he resigned as the local MP in October 2016 in protest at the Government’s decision to back a third runway at Heathrow.
He stood as an independent at a by-election in December but lost to Lib Dem Sarah Olney, even though the Tories did not contest the seat.
But Mr Goldsmith won it back in Theresa May’s snap election in June 2017, defeating Ms Olney with a majorty of just 45.
However, she regained the seat in the 2019 Brexit General Election, with a majority of 7,766.
Area: This constituency includes seven Richmond wards including Barnes, East Sheen - Ham, Petersham & Richmond Riverside - Kew, Mortlake & Barnes Common, North Richmond, South Richmond, and three Kingston wards of Canbury, Coombe Hill and Tudor
I’m not sure if I’m in this constituency: Here’s how you can check
Boundary changes impact (Thrasher and Rallings analysis): Boundary changes have made this marginal more of a Lib Dem seat. At the 2019 General Election, the result was 53.1 per cent Lib Dem, 41.2 per cent Tory and 5.2 per cent Labour. The changes would have made it 53.6 per cent Lib Dem, 40.6 per cent Conservative, and 5.3 per cent Labour.
YouGov MRP poll prediction: Lib Dem hold
Evening Standard view: This seat has gone Lib Dem, Lib Dem, Lib Dem, Con, Con, Lib Dem, Con, Lib Dem since 1997...and looks set to stay Lib Dem
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