General Election 2019: Why Thurrock is an electoral battleground
Thurrock is a constituency in the eastern electoral region and used to be known as the UKIP capital of the UK.
Monday 11 November 2019 13:47, UK
The World's End pub in the shadow of Tilbury docks seems as good a place as any to test the temperature in one of the Leave strongholds of the UK.
Bar manager Becky is uncompromising: "People will back Boris if he gets us out. If he doesn't there will be real anger here."
In the pub, 72-year-old Sue is a lifelong Labour voter just like her mum and her nan before her.
But because of Brexit she is voting Tory for the first time.
"It's disgusting. We voted out and all they've done is fussed about. We need to get out," she said.
But up the road at the local college first time voters are determined to have a say. And many 18-year-olds believe issues that really matter to them, like street crime and stabbings, are being ignored.
They also believe politicians are not listening to young people, most of whom they say want to stay in the EU.
At this election they are determined to have their say though most seemed resigned to Brexit. And their view of politicians... "Dumb and Dumber", said one student. "They listen to themselves, but don't listen to us".
Thurrock, previously known as the UKIP capital of the UK, voted 70% leave in the EU referendum and its seat is held by Conservative Jackie Doyle-Price.
UKIP had the most seats on the council - 17 out of 49 - following the 2016 local elections. Ms Doyle-Price will have been relieved to see the vote share of UKIP drop in the last election - but she may be wary of a surge for the Brexit Party.
Voter profile
Thurrock, which is best known for its huge shopping centre - Lakeside - and for the docks, and the Dartford Crossing, recorded the 21st highest leave vote in the UK.
Around 18% of the adult population is educated to degree level or higher, making it the 82nd least educated constituency in the UK.
People under the age of 45 make up for 54% of adults living in the constituency, which is above average.
Approximately 17.5% of the adult population in Thurrock are from ethnic minorities. It is the fifth most deprived constituency in the eastern region and the 136th most deprived in the UK.
Average earnings are down 10.6 points since 2010, making it one of the constituencies most affected by the financial crisis.
Thurrock used to be a safe Labour seat up until the 1980s, when it started moving towards the Conservatives. The Tories first won it in 1987, but held the seat for just a single term before Labour regained it.
The seat became a marginal in 2005 and in 2010 it was won by Ms Doyle-Price on a tiny majority of 92 votes.
Sky News's election analysts Professor Michael Thrasher and Professor Will Jennings have selected six demographic measures to profile constituencies at this election. These measures have been chosen for their strong relationship with party support and give a good indication of the potential appeal of parties in each seat.
Terms explained
Brexit: This shows the % which voted leave.
Age: Labour and the Lib Dems vote share tends to be higher in younger areas, with the Conservatives making gains in seats where the electorate is older.
Education: Since 2005, the Conservatives have done worse in graduate areas, and Labour has made progress.
Ethnic minorities: Labour tends to do better in seats with a higher proportion of ethnic minority communities. The Conservatives tend to do worse.
Earnings: This shows the percentage change in average earnings between 2010 and 2018, adjusted for inflation. In 2017, the Conservative vote showed slight increases in constituencies where earnings had increased. Labour tended to improve where earnings have declined.
Deprivation: Our Sky Deprivation index ranks the social and economic health of particular areas, using data on employment, qualifications, poor health and occupancy. The higher the number the more deprived the constituency, with Labour and the SNP outperforming these areas. The Conservative and the Lib Dems vote share is higher in places that are less deprived.