Among the gift shops and Goth daytrippers – meet the ‘Whitby woman’ who could sway the election
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Women’s Correspondent Maya Oppenheim talks to undecided, and unimpressed, women voters in the North Yorkshire town about their thoughts on the general election hopefuls. Pensioners whizz around on mobility scooters, pirate-themed boats sail by, couples clutch each other’s hands. Welcome to Whitby: the seaside town in North Yorkshire that has lent its name to a target voter in the general election race.
![[A sculpture by Whitby artist Emma Stothard]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/06/21/12/C5EBEEFA-699E-4A5A-8ED0-E312A85257B9_1_105_c.jpeg)
The so-called “Whitby woman”, a term coined by polling think-tank More in Common, is a Tory voter who remains undecided about who will get her vote on 4 July. With an average age of around 61, she is a homeowner who lives in a suburb or a small town like Whitby, who voted in favour of Brexit and is less likely to have gone to university.
![[Arcade in Whitby]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/06/21/12/9E3E358C-AB64-40F7-A83F-994FFE2169ED_1_105_c.jpeg)
And her actions are expected by some to have an impact on whether the Tories suffer a landslide defeat, fall to a narrow defeat, or cling onto power. Bar her age, Sadie Myers, who has an antique shop in Whitby called Den of Antiquity, perfectly fits the profile of the “Whitby woman”.
![[Reform Party poster outside a Whitby pub]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/06/21/12/ED43471D-B742-467D-93A5-5B0E9B578B36_1_105_c.jpeg)
“It’s like opening a box of chocolates that look different but all taste the same,” the 49-year-old says of the political leaders. “You get bored.”. Ms Myers is not a fan of Rishi Sunak or Sir Keir Starmer so is thinking of leaning towards Nigel Farage’s Reform.
![[T-shirts hanging in a Whitby shop]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/06/21/12/07885C20-3026-46A7-8DE6-ABB4A6580F09_1_105_c.jpeg)
"I take pride in the fact that I always vote," she says. "I think it's very important, especially for women. We earned the right to vote and we need to hold onto that, you know. When you are not given people that you can warm to, it makes it very difficult.".
![[Karen Noble in the doorway of her shop]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/06/21/12/D8136F76-D2E3-4857-856C-00F65AD8F5D0_1_105_c.jpeg)
