The ancient Romans considered Chester as strategically important as London. This week, it is arguably just as central to Labour and the Conservatives.
People in this affluent northern city will vote in the first Westminster by-election since Boris Johnson departed, the pound crashed, and Rishi Sunak replaced Liz Truss as prime minister.
The contest was triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Chris Matheson for “serious sexual misconduct”.
But the result will be a crucial insight into how voters feel about the recent political and economic chaos, and which party is best placed to deal with the rising cost of living.
Labour has a majority of just over 6,000 votes – or 11% – in this constituency, and few political observers expect anything other than a win for Sir Keir Starmer’s party.
But Chester, with its mix of densely populated urban areas, historic sites and rural villages, is a microcosm of the challenges facing both Labour and the Tories.
Its relative wealth (despite pockets of deprivation) with house prices, wages and educational achievement all above the North West average means the Conservatives should do well here. And for most of the last century, they did.
It was Tony Blair’s appeal to the educated, aspirational, and affluent that broke that hold in 1997 – and despite a brief return to the Tory fold in 2010, it has been Labour since.
That Labour appeal to more educated voters is something we’ve seen more broadly in recent years – and saw again at May’s local elections. The party got a bigger swing from the Conservatives in areas with more university graduates.
It is costing the Conservatives dearly in seats they once held comfortably. Labour’s challenge is to inspire these voters without losing their less affluent base. It’s a balancing act the Lib Dems could disrupt in Chester if there’s no progressive pact.
In the years just before the Cameron-Clegg coalition, the Lib Dems polled at about 20% here. Having lost their deposit in 2017, the party’s candidate was the only one to increase their vote share in 2019.
So, how should we judge the parties’ performances?
If the opinion polls are correct, the 38.3% share the Conservatives won in 2019 would halve. Rishi Sunak’s ideal result would see the party maintain that 2019 share. A more realistic ambition is somewhere in between – a fall in vote but not by half.
For Sir Keir Starmer, the only way is up. Labour needs to increase its 49.6% share. A double-digit rise would reflect the party’s current support in the polls. Less than half that would return it to the 56.8% achieved in 2017 but could be considered disappointing for a by-election in these circumstances.
Much of this depends on which Chester voters, and how many of them, turn out. At the last general election, 72% of them did so – but turnout is invariably lower for a by-election.
Since 2000, in contests involving the main parties, it has fallen 23 points on average. So, we might expect about 49% to 52% of Chester’s electorate to cast a ballot.
It could be their last chance to do so in this constituency that has been returning MPs since 1545. One of the oldest in the UK, proposed boundary changes would split it and merge it with neighbouring areas creating two new seats, possibly as soon as next year.
If this is the last election in its current form, it’s already a record-breaking one. There are more candidates standing to become Chester’s MP than ever before – a total of nine.
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
Image: The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
Image: The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Image: Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Image: Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
Image: The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
Image: The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.