Labour made surprising breakthroughs in a number of counties in 1997, and Norfolk was not the least of them. This seat was taken from the Conservatives with a 10.4% swing, and will be a prime target for the party if it is to make any sort of a recovery this time. The fight here will be an exact repeat of 1997, with the former MP, Henry Bellingham, unusually choosing to contest the seat again.
This constituency is a somewhat mixed bag, containing the port of Kingís Lynn, many small farming communities, a sizeable amount of light industry, and the royal familyís Norfolk retreat, the Sandringham Estate. King's Lynn is an industrial town with an affluent past - it was once the countryís third port and that heritage means it boasts two medieval guildhalls, two magnificent market places and 12th century St Margaretís Church.
The rural nature of the seat, its size, and the strong Tory-voting tradition seem to have counted for little even at local elections. In 1999, the Tories did not quite manage to re-establish control of Kingís Lynn and West Norfolk council, and in this constituency they hold just 15 seats to Labourís 25.