General Election: who is standing in Fife and how have constituencies changed

Voters go to the polls on July 4, giving parties six weeks to get their teams in place - and their message across on the doorsteps.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ended months of speculation when he announced the date in the steps of a rain-soaked Downing Street yesterday. More than 60 Conservative MPs have already said they will stand down, underlining the significant changes that lie ahead.

In Fife, two sitting MPs are also stepping back from office. Peter Grant won’t contest the Glenrothes and Mid-Fife and party colleague Douglas Chapman is standing down in Dunfermline and West Fife, both after serving for nine years. They depart the political scene as Fife’s four constituencies take on a new look following the latest Boundary Commission tweaks. Some names have changed, and the areas they cover also amended.

Kirkcady and Cowdenbeath becomes ‘Cowdeneath and Kirkcaldy’ with some 80% of the electorate from those two areas joined by 12.9% of Dunfermline and West Fife and 2.5% of Glenrothes. Neale Hanvey will contest the seat for the first time as an Alba candidate. He originally stood for the SNP, was de-selected by the party and ran on an independent ticket and won.

The SNP have selected Lesley Backhouse - one of several councillors bidding to make the step up from Fife House to the House of Commons - while Labour have replaced original candidate, trades unionist Wilma Brown, with Melanie Ward. The Greens will be led by Mags Hall. The Tories and Lib Dems have yet to announce their candidates for the constituency.

The new Dunfermline and Dollar constituency which takes in sliver of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath - a mere 0.1% of it - will see two councillors go head to head. Graeme Downie has won the Labour ticket, with the SNP opting for Naz Anis Miah.

In North East Fife, Wendy Chamberlain will seek to retain the seat she won in 2019. Three parties have confirmed their candidates for the seat, with Councillor Stefan Hoggan-Radu flying the flash for the SNP, Bill Bowman for the Tories, and Morven Ovenstone-Jones for the Greens.

Glenrothes and Central Fife has now become Glenrothes and Mid Fife, and takes in almost 20% of the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency. Councillor John Beare will fly the flag for the SNP with Richard Baker selected for Labour.

> The Prime Minister’s announcement of the election date triggered a sequence of events. Parliament was expected to be prorogued on Friday (May 24) and dissolved on Thursday May 30. The Commons and its committees will not meet until after the election. The new Parliament will first meet on Tuesday July 9, when MPs old and new will take the oath. The State Opening of Parliament is expected to take place on July 17.

Polling stations will be open between 7:00am and 10:00pm on election day, but with the election falling during the summer holiday many people across Fife are expected to use a postal vote. Fife’s vote is likely to be counted at Michael Woods Sports Centre in Glenrothes where all recent parliamentary and Holyrood elections have culminated.