Central Suffolk and North Ipswich General Election 2024 count: Updates from Debenham Leisure Centre

Three hours in and with verification nearly done, here's what the candidates for the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich have been saying.

Votes are being tallied at Debenham Leisure Centre, with the result expected to be declared at about 4am.

Those vying for the seat are:

- Charlie Caiger (Independent)
- Tony Gould (Reform)
- Mike Hallatt (Independent)
- Brett Mickelburgh (Liberal Democrats)
- Dan Pratt (Green Party)
- Patrick Spender (Conservative)

Mike Hallatt was the first to speak, saying he'd be 'very disappointed' if voters didn't choose one of the two Independents and pointed out that only they provided an address in the constituency.

The other Independent vying for the seat is Charlie Caiger.

Cllr Ian Fisher, who leads the Conservatives at Ipswich Borough Council, said despite the national picture, the result was 'nowhere near a done deal' in this constituency.

"It's all about regaining the trust of the electorate," he said.

Patrick Spencer, the Tory candidate, hasn't arrived yet.

The Green, Lib Dem, and Reform candidates don't seem to be hopeful about their chances of winning.

Dan Pratt, from the Greens, said: "Our chances are quite slim, but not zero."

He also said the vote was made more interesting by Kevin Craig being deselected by the Labour Party.

Brett Mickelburgh, of the Lib Dems, admitted the constituency was 'never really a target seat' for his party but maintained it was still interesting to see the result.

"People vote like they support their football team — it's like you're part of a tribe," he said.

On the Reform side, Tony Gould, said: "To break in and beat one of the big two parties would take constant messaging to the electorate."

Mr Gould said he was hoping to get 10 per cent and said the party would have five years to make themselves known to voters.

Although the Labour candidate, Kevin Craig, was on the ballots throughout the day, he was suspended and deselected by the party last month after betting against himself to lose the election.

In 2019, Dr Poulter won the constituency with a 23,391 majority, after scoring 35,253 votes — he defected from the Tories to Labour in April.

Our reporters are at the majority of the election counts across Suffolk. To read our live blog with updates from the counts, click here.

This story will be updated throughout the night.