VOTERS will go to the polls today to decide who they want to represent them in Westminster.

The hotly contested Colchester seat is being fought between Will Quince (Con), Sir Bob Russell (Lib Dem), Tim Young (Lab), Mark Goacher (Green) and Robin Rennie (Christian People’s Alliance).

Tory Mr Quince, who wrestled the seat away from veteran MP Sir Bob in 2015, remains the favourite to be returned with odds as short as 1-20 at the bookies.

Sir Bob, who held the seat for 18 years before Lib Dem support collapsed in 2015, is second favourite priced at 9-1, while Mr Young’s odds have been slashed from 100-1 to 25-1.

The Colchester seat has been identified as a key marginal by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism as 5,823 more people are registered to vote than in 2015 - slightly more than Mr Quince’s 5,575 majority last time out.

The Tory has also been boosted by UKIP not fielding a candidate in Colchester, and urging supporters to back Mr Quince to help deliver Brexit.

But according to a nationwide survey, Labour have won enough support in the East of England to overtake the Conservatives.

Across the region, 34 per cent of people said they are planning to vote Labour compared to 25 per cent who said that was their planned vote at the start of the election campaign.

The proportion of respondents backing the Tories is at 26 per cent, down from 32 per cent at the start of the campaign.

Seats in Harwich and North Essex, Witham, Braintree and Maldon are expected to remain Tory strongholds but the Clacton seat is up for grabs after UKIP-turned-independent MP Douglas Carswell decided to step down.

Polling stations will be open between 7am and 10pm today for people to choose their MP.

  • For live election results and reaction visit gazette-news.co.uk and there will be an eight-page election special on Monday.