With just over a week to go until the big day, reporter PATRICK GRAFTON-GREEN checks out the runners and riders for the General Election 2015.

News Shopper:

Heidi Alexander

LEWISHAM EAST

Counting venue: Laurence House, Catford Road
Count starts: As soon as possible after the polls close - Thursday May 7
Results expected: Friday May 7 - 4am

HISTORY
Labour's Heidi Alexander has been MP for the last five years, and following in the footsteps of Bridget Prentice - also of the Labour party - who held the seat for 18 years between 1992 and 2010. She came in after two terms of Tory domination under Colin Moynihan.

DID YOU KNOW?
As part of considerable boundary changes to the constituency in 2010, to facilitate the creation of Lewisham West & Penge, Lewisham East received Catford South, and parts of Rushey Green and Whitefoot wards from the former constituency of Lewisham West, as well as part of Rushey Green from Lewisham Deptford. It lost part of Lewisham Central to Lewisham Deptford.

OUTLOOK
Lewisham East has been held by Labour since 1992 and it'll take an almighty effort from the Conservative or Liberal Democrat candidate to usurp that.

MP
Name: Heidi Alexander
Status: Running again
Magic moment: In spearheading the Lewisham community campaign to save the maternity ward and A&E at Lewisham Hospital, Ms Alexander went head-to-head with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and helped secure a spectacular victory over the Government. 

GENERAL ELECTION 2010 RESULTS
Labour: Heidi Alexander 43.1 per cent (-2.7)
Lib Dem: Pete Pattisson 28.2 per cent (+6.4)
Conservative: Jonathan Clamp 23.6 per cent (-0.7)
UKIP: Roderick Reed 1.8 per cent (-0.4)
Green: Priscilla Cotterell 1.5 per cent (-2.7)

Labour hold. Majority 14.9 per cent. Turnout 63.3 per cent

GENERAL ELECTION 2015 CANDIDATES
Labour - Heidi Alexander
Conservative - Peter Fortune
Lib Dem - Julia Fletcher
UKIP - Anne Marie Walters
Green - Störm Poorun 
Lewisham People Before Profit - Nick Long
Christian People's Alliance - Maureen Martin

News Shopper:

Jim Dowd

LEWISHAM WEST & PENGE

Counting venue: Laurence House, Catford Road
Count starts: As soon as possible after the polls close - Thursday May 7
Results expected: Friday May 7 - 4am

HISTORY
Lewisham West & Penge is a relatively new constituency, only created in 2010 from the old Lewisham West when significant boundary changes were made. Since 1992, the local MP for first Lewisham West and then Lewisham West & Penge has been Labour's Jim Dowd.

DID YOU KNOW?
In 2005 Jim Dowd was involved in a heated confrontation in Parliament with fellow Labour MP Bob Marshall-Andrews over the Terrorism Bill. At the time the Telegraph reported Mr Dowd intervened in a fracas in the lobby after a vote. He was alleged to have grabbed the Medway MP's lapels and pushed him across the lobby.

OUTLOOK
Alex Feakes of the Liberal Democrats put in a strong effort in 2010, but ousting the local MP of 23 years, Jim Dowd, is a huge ask.

MP
Name: Jim Dowd
Status: Running again
Magic moment: Refused to disclose whether he wears swimming shorts or swimming trunks during a News Shopper interview on MP's holidays. He said: "That question is stupid and I won't answer it. Goodbye."

GENERAL ELECTION 2010 RESULTS
Labour: Jim Dowd 41.1 per cent (-5.2)
Lib Dem: Alex Feakes 28.1 per cent (+1)
Conservative: Chris Phillips 25.5 per cent (+3.9)
UKIP: Peter Staveley 2.5 per cent (-0.1)
Green: Romayne Phoenix 2.1 per cent 

Labour hold. Majority 12.9 per cent. Turnout 65.2 per cent

GENERAL ELECTION 2015 CANDIDATES
Labour - Jim Dowd
Conservative - Russell Jackson
Lib Dem - Alex Feakes
UKIP - Gary Harding
Green - Tom Chance
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition - Martin Powell-Davies
Liberty GB - Dr George Whale
Independent - David Hansom

News Shopper:

Dame Joan Ruddock

LEWISHAM DEPTFORD

Counting venue: Laurence House, Catford Road
Count starts: As soon as possible after the polls close - Thursday May 7
Results expected: Friday May 7 - 4am

HISTORY
Labour's Dame Joan Ruddock, who has been the MP for Lewisham Deptford since 1987, is retiring. She recently told The Telegraph: "I’ve done it all, I don’t need to prove anything. I want to get out while I still have some energy and all my marbles because I’d like to be able to get a life."

DID YOU KNOW?
Outgoing MP Joan Ruddock's partner is also an MP. Frank Doran represents Aberdeen North for Labour. He too will be standing down this year.

OUTLOOK
A safe Labour seat and that is unlikely to change, even with MP of almost 30 years Joan Ruddock retiring.

MP
Name: Joan Ruddock
Status: Retiring
Magic moment: Served as Minister for Women under Tony Blair's government.

GENERAL ELECTION 2010 RESULTS
Labour: Joan Ruddock 53.7 per cent (-1.7)
Lib Dem: Tom Langley 23.4 per cent (+5.4)
Conservative: Gemma Townsend 13.5 per cent (+0.8)
Green: Darren Johnson 6.7 per cent (-3.3)
Socialist Alternative: Ian Page 1.6 per cent (-0.6)

Labour hold. Majority 30.3 per cent. Turnout 61.5 per cent

GENERAL ELECTION 2015 CANDIDATES
Labour - Vicky Foxcroft
Conservative - Bim Afolami
Lib Dem - Michael Bukola
UKIP - Massimo Dimambro
Green - John Coughlin
Lewisham People Before Profit - Helen Mercer
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition - Chris Flood
Christian People's Alliance - Malcolm Martin
Democratic Reform Party - Philip Badger
Independent - David Neil Thomas Harvey