But Jermy says he has come across Conservatives who will still vote for her. “I found plenty of Tories that said, look, we’re Conservative and as much as we don’t like her, we will vote for her,” he says.
This is where Bagge hopes to beat Labour. His argument is that this deeply traditional constituency will never turn red, therefore he is the only candidate who can stop Truss. “They don’t easily shift,” Bagge says. “They’re not swing voters.”
Bagge has the backing of several well-known former MPs including Stewart, and the day we visit former Attorney General Dominic Grieve is campaigning in Swaffham with him.
“Of course it’s a long shot,” Grieve says of Bagge’s chances. Grieve knows how hard it is to win as an independent: he stood unsuccessfully as one in the last election in his seat of Beaconsfield after two decades as the local Conservative MP.
But when asked what would be a good night for him on July 4, Bagge replies “winning.”
Open door
Reform’s candidate Toby McKenzie has more modest aims.
We catch the former teacher in a Tesco cafe on his way to pick up more leaflets. The 51-year-old wants to establish the party in the area and build a base in time for the next local elections. This part of Norfolk used to have several councillors elected for UKIP, a predecessor party to Reform, and McKenzie said he is picking up plenty of support.
National polling models put Reform on around 22 percent in this constituency, with Labour on 33 and the Conservatives on 30. There is no option for Bagge, something he points out, but “other” shows at 1 percent.
McKenzie said around three-quarters of his support is coming from ex-Conservative voters and he has quickly picked up volunteers since setting up a Reform table on a market stall. “I’ve got a really nice WhatsApp group of supporters. The feeling I get is that it’s very good for us,” he said.
And this might be Truss’ best hope. Her main rivals carry the risk of all running such popular campaigns that they split the anti-Conservative vote in three — and keep Truss in office in South West Norfolk for another five years.
