Like all three parliamentary seats in the Potteries, Stoke-on-Trent North was a Labour stronghold from its creation in 1950 all the way up to the last decade.

Then, in the 2019 general election, as the Red Wall crumbled across the North and Midlands, the then unknown Jonathan Gullis finally captured the seat for the Conservatives.

Since his election, Mr Gullis has been one of the most high profile Conservative MPs, becoming a vocal cheerleader for both Brexit and levelling up, as well as being a popular target for his political opponents. In terms of levelling up, Stoke-on-Trent North is benefiting from Kidsgrove's £17 million Town Deal, which supported the reopening of Kidsgrove Sports Centre, and the £3.35 million allocated to the former Tunstall Library and Baths.

Jonathan Gullis has been the MP for Stoke-on-Trent North since 2019 (Image supplied).

But there have been some recent setbacks in the area's economic regeneration, with Johnson Tiles announcing the closure of its Tunstall factory earlier this year, and JCB also set to shut its warehouse in the town. The cost of living crisis is likely to be a big factor in determining the way people vote in a constituency which includes some of the most deprived areas in England.

At this election, Mr Gullis' main opponent will be Labour's David Williams, who has served as a Stoke-on-Trent city councillor for Little Chell and Stanfield since 2019. But Reform UK's Karl Beresford could also play a significant role, with his party attracting voters away from the Conservatives nationally.

Gemma Loomes, a politics lecturer at Keele University, believes that Labour are likely to benefit from voters wishing to 'punish' the Conservatives for their record since 2019.

Reform UK's Karl Beresford could also play a significant role in this year's election (Image supplied).

She said: "People use their votes in very different ways. Jonathan Gullis will attract some local support for being Jonathan Gullis, but lots of Conservatives will also be looking to punish him for the way the Conservatives have run the country nationally for the past five years. If you ask someone who supports Gullis' approach to politics, I think they're likely to vote Reform.

"Reform are going to be really interesting. According to the MRPs they're polling at around 15 to 17 per cent in all the Stoke-on-Trent seats, but in Stoke-on-Trent North, the gap between Labour and the Conservatives is potentially around 15 to 20 per cent, so the Reform vote could be really important."

Candidates

• Jag Boyapti – Independent
• Karl Beresford – Reform UK
• Jonathan Gullis – Conservative
• Josh Harris – Green
• Lucy Hurds – Liberal Democrats
• David Williams – Labour

Read more about each candidate here.

2019 result

• Jonathan Gullis – Conservative – 20,974 (52.3%)
• Ruth Smeeth – Labour – 14,688 (36.6%)
• Richard Watkin – Brexit – 2,374 (5.9%)
• Peter Andras – Liberal Democrats – 1,268 (3.2%)
• Alan Borgars – Green – 508 (1.3%)
• Matthew Dilworth – Independent – 322 (0.8%)