Uncommonly, it's managed to predict and vote for the winning party in every general elections since 1964 - the longest consecutive record.

If that is a reliable guide, then UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has much to worry about ahead of this year's vote - which many now speculate might still be many months away.

In an era of deep divisions in Britain, Dartford could call it again - and send him and his Conservative Party packing.

On the town's main street, the diverse but cash-strapped electorate agree on one thing already: Britain's best days are behind it.

"We're a family of four, two school age kids, both working full time decent jobs, we still find it really hard to shop, things have gone up so much."

"Even though there's more housing, it's all for people who probably come from boroughs in London and who want to move further out. But there isn't really, there isn't really that much support for people in social housing and low incomes."

Dartford offers important clues to the national picture.

Opinion polls show Sunak's Conservatives trailing opposition leader Keir Starmer and his Labour Party by around 20 percentage points.

That's against a backdrop of sluggish economic growth, inflation, and a public sector strained after years of spending cuts.

British households have suffered the biggest fall in living standards in modern history since the last election in 2019.

Another key point of contention this time around is immigration.

"Everybody coming in, we're going to sink because we're not that big an island."

And long wait times for public services.

The tone in Dartford is ominous for the Conservatives, who must win seats like this to have any chance of staying in power.

"I think I'd rather anybody from an opposition to be in charge than the Conservatives and Rishi Sunak."

"If you say the election is going on next week. Yes, of course, I'm not going to vote for them (Conservatives). Of course not. And maybe if he could take time like three, four or five, six months and improve their policies, then maybe I can think again. But he's not in a big time, if (the) election comes, no, no way."

Even among traditional Conservative voters in Dartford there is little enthusiasm for Sunak, who replaced Liz Truss as prime minister just over a year ago.

The one hope the Conservatives may cling on to here is that some are yet to decide who has their vote.