Bristol Central is a parliamentary constituency located within the City of Bristol in South West England.[2][3] It returns one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Since 2024, it has been represented by Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party.
| Bristol Central | |
|---|---|
| Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Boundary of Bristol Central in South West England | |
| County | City of Bristol |
| Electorate | 70,227 (2023)[1] |
| Major settlements | Bristol |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 2024 |
| Member of Parliament | Carla Denyer (Green) |
| Seats | 1 |
| Created from | Bristol West |
| 1918–1974 | |
| Seats | one |
| Created from | Bristol East Bristol North Bristol South Bristol West |
| Replaced by | Bristol North East Bristol South East |
A constituency of this name existed from 1918 to 1974. The modern constituency was re-established in 2024 as a successor to Bristol West.[4]
Constituency profile
editBased on data from the 2021 census, the Electoral Calculus categorises the proposed seat as being part of the “strong left” demographic, those who have very economically left wing and socially liberal views, are composed of a largely student population and have an internationalist outlook including strong opposition to Brexit. For reference, the site gives a notional result of only 12% for those who voted Brexit back in 2016, indicating that Bristol Central is a heavily pro-Remain area. In addition to this, around 43% of the constituency is deprived, in terms of employment, income and education, which can be seen as considerably low in contrast to the national average of 52% deprivation, according to the site. For general statistics, the average age is 37.6, at least 65% of the local population owns a car, whilst 41% own a home, and the gross household income is £48,529.[5]
Bristol Central has also been reported to be the most pro-immigration constituency in the United Kingdom; 55 per cent of voters wanted fewer controls and higher numbers in Bristol, a survey published by the Telegraph found.[6]
History
editBristol Central was first created for the 1918 general election, and abolished for the February 1974 general election, after which it was absorbed into Bristol North East and Bristol South East.
During the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies in 2000-07, a proposal to rename Bristol West to "Bristol Central" was rejected.[7]
Modern constituency
editFollowing the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Bristol Central largely replaced Bristol West, comprising approximately 70% of the abolished constituency.[8] It was first contested at the 2024 general election.[9]
2024 election
editIn January 2022, Bristol West MP Thangam Debbonaire was reselected by the Labour Party to stand as their candidate for Bristol Central in the next general election; on 4 September 2023 she was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by Keir Starmer.[10] London Mayor Sadiq Khan visited Clifton to show support for Debbonaire, claiming that Bristol would "have a strong champion as culture secretary in the next Labour government”.[11]
In 2023, the Green Party said that Bristol Central would be a target seat for the party, and selected their co-leader, Carla Denyer, as their candidate.[12][13][14] Following the May local elections, the Green Party became the biggest party in Bristol City Council.[15] Denyer aimed to capitalise upon voters “feeling utterly uninspired by the potential of a Keir Starmer-led Labour party”.[16] Former MP for Liverpool Riverside, Dame Louise Ellman accused the Green Party of stirring up divisions over the Gaza War as part of their electoral campaign, by including the Palestinian flag and images of destruction in Gaza on their distribution letters in Bristol.[17]
Other running candidates included, Reform UK's Robert Clarke,[18] the Liberal Democrats's Nicholas Coombes,[19] and the Conservatives's Samuel Williams.[20]
At the beginning of the campaign, The Economist and the Financial Times predicted Labour would win in Bristol Central, based upon poll tracking.[21][22] Constituent Carol Vorderman predicted the Green Party would win the election with 52% of the vote share.[23]
Boundaries
editHistoric
edit1918–1950: The County Borough of Bristol wards of Central East, Central West, Redcliffe, St Augustine, St James, St Paul, and St Philip and Jacob South.
1950–1955: The County Borough of Bristol wards of Easton, Knowle, Redcliffe, St Paul, St Philip and Jacob North, and St Philip and Jacob South.
1955–1974: The County Borough of Bristol wards of Easton, Knowle, St Paul, St Philip and Jacob, and Windmill Hill.
Current
edit
2024-present: The City of Bristol wards of Ashley, Central, Clifton, Clifton Down, Cotham, Hotwells and Harbourside, and Redland.[24]
The seat comprises the former Bristol West constituency – minus the wards of Bishopston and Ashley Down, which was moved to Bristol North West, and Lawrence Hill and Easton, which was moved to Bristol East.[25]
Members of Parliament
edit| Election | Member | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | Thomas Inskip | Conservative | ||
| 1929 | Joseph Alpass | Labour | ||
| 1931 | Lord Apsley | Conservative | Killed in action, 1942 as Commander of the Arab Legion in Malta | |
| 1943 by-election | Lady Apsley | Conservative | ||
| 1945 | Stan Awbery | Labour | ||
| 1964 | Arthur Palmer | Labour | ||
| 1974–2024 | None | Constituency not in use 1974–2024. | ||
| 2024 | Carla Denyer | Green | Co-leader of the Green Party | |
Election results
editElections in the 2020s
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green | Carla Denyer | 24,539 | 56.6 | +30.6 | |
| Labour | Thangam Debbonaire | 14,132 | 32.6 | −25.9 | |
| Conservative | Samuel Williams | 1,998 | 4.6 | −9.7 | |
| Reform UK | Robert Clarke | 1,338 | 3.1 | +1.9 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Nicholas Coombes | 1,162 | 2.7 | N/A | |
| Party of Women | Kellie-Jay Keen | 196 | 0.5 | N/A | |
| Majority | 10,407 | 24.0 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 43,365 | 69.1 | –4.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 62,735 | ||||
| Green gain from Labour | Swing | +28.2 | |||
Elections in the 2010s
edit| 2019 notional result[28] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| Labour | 30,077 | 58.5 | |
| Green | 13,381 | 26.0 | |
| Conservative | 7,376 | 14.3 | |
| Brexit Party | 593 | 1.2 | |
| Turnout | 51,427 | 73.2 | |
| Electorate | 70,227 | ||
Elections in the 1970s
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Arthur Palmer | 12,375 | 51.4 | −7.5 | |
| Conservative | James R. E. Taylor | 9,130 | 37.9 | +1.9 | |
| Liberal | Antony Rider | 2,569 | 10.7 | New | |
| Majority | 3,245 | 13.5 | −9.4 | ||
| Turnout | 24,074 | 66.7 | −3.3 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1960s
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Arthur Palmer | 15,399 | 58.9 | +3.4 | |
| Conservative | James R. E. Taylor | 9,410 | 36.0 | −3.0 | |
| Independent | Desmond H. R. Burgess | 1,322 | 5.1 | −1.4 | |
| Majority | 5,989 | 22.9 | +7.4 | ||
| Turnout | 26,131 | 70.0 | −1.9 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Arthur Palmer | 16,207 | 54.5 | +0.9 | |
| Conservative | James R. E. Taylor | 11,616 | 39.0 | −7.4 | |
| Independent | Desmond H. R. Burgess | 1,936 | 6.5 | New | |
| Majority | 4,591 | 15.5 | +8.3 | ||
| Turnout | 29,759 | 71.9 | −3.1 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1950s
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Stan Awbery | 19,905 | 53.6 | −6.9 | |
| Conservative | L. G. Pine | 17,209 | 46.4 | +6.9 | |
| Majority | 2,696 | 7.2 | −13.8 | ||
| Turnout | 37,114 | 75.0 | +1.2 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Stan Awbery | 25,158 | 60.5 | −1.9 | |
| Conservative | Kenelm Antony Philip Dalby | 16,406 | 39.5 | +1.9 | |
| Majority | 8,752 | 21.0 | −3.8 | ||
| Turnout | 41,564 | 73.8 | −9.3 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Stan Awbery | 26,091 | 62.4 | +2.7 | |
| Conservative | Kenelm Antony Philip Dalby | 15,725 | 37.6 | +6.6 | |
| Majority | 10,366 | 24.8 | −3.9 | ||
| Turnout | 41,816 | 83.1 | −1.4 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Stan Awbery | 25,889 | 59.7 | −4.2 | |
| Conservative | John Peyton | 13,461 | 31.0 | −5.1 | |
| Liberal | Donald David Oliver Jones | 4,042 | 9.3 | New | |
| Majority | 12,428 | 28.7 | +0.9 | ||
| Turnout | 43,392 | 84.5 | +14.5 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1940s
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Stan Awbery | 13,045 | 63.9 | +16.4 | |
| Conservative | Violet Bathurst | 7,369 | 36.1 | −16.4 | |
| Majority | 5,676 | 27.8 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 20,414 | 70.0 | −2.8 | ||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Violet Bathurst | 5,867 | 52.1 | −0.4 | |
| Independent Labour | Jennie Lee | 4,308 | 38.2 | New | |
| Ind. Labour Party | John McNair | 830 | 7.4 | New | |
| Independent | F. H. Dunn | 258 | 2.3 | New | |
| Majority | 1,559 | 13.9 | +8.9 | ||
| Turnout | 11,263 | 32.9 | −39.9 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1930s
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Allen Bathurst | 15,774 | 52.5 | −7.1 | |
| Labour | J. J. Taylor | 14,258 | 47.5 | +7.1 | |
| Majority | 1,516 | 5.0 | −14.2 | ||
| Turnout | 30,032 | 72.8 | −7.6 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Allen Bathurst | 22,311 | 59.6 | +15.3 | |
| Labour | Joseph Alpass | 15,143 | 40.4 | −15.3 | |
| Majority | 7,168 | 19.2 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 37,454 | 80.4 | +2.9 | ||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1920s
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Joseph Alpass | 20,749 | 55.7 | +10.8 | |
| Unionist | Thomas Inskip | 16,524 | 44.3 | −10.8 | |
| Majority | 4,225 | 11.4 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 37,273 | 77.5 | 0.0 | ||
| Registered electors | 48,081 | ||||
| Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +10.8 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unionist | Thomas Inskip | 17,177 | 55.1 | +0.4 | |
| Labour | James Lovat-Fraser | 14,018 | 44.9 | −0.4 | |
| Majority | 3,159 | 10.2 | +0.8 | ||
| Turnout | 31,195 | 77.5 | +11.7 | ||
| Registered electors | 40,252 | ||||
| Unionist hold | Swing | +0.4 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unionist | Thomas Inskip | 14,386 | 54.7 | −1.2 | |
| Labour | Samuel Edward Walters | 11,932 | 45.3 | +1.2 | |
| Majority | 2,454 | 9.4 | −2.4 | ||
| Turnout | 26,318 | 65.8 | −6.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 40,000 | ||||
| Unionist hold | Swing | −1.2 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unionist | Thomas Inskip | 15,568 | 55.9 | −6.3 | |
| Labour | Christopher Thomson | 12,303 | 44.1 | +6.3 | |
| Majority | 3,265 | 11.8 | −12.6 | ||
| Turnout | 27,871 | 72.0 | +18.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 38,709 | ||||
| Unionist hold | Swing | −6.3 | |||
Elections in the 1910s
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Unionist | Thomas Inskip | 12,232 | 63.2 | |
| Labour | Ernest Bevin | 7,137 | 36.8 | ||
| Majority | 5,095 | 26.4 | |||
| Turnout | 19,369 | 53.7 | |||
| Registered electors | 36,038 | ||||
| Unionist win (new seat) | |||||
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. | |||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "South West region – Revised proposals" (PDF). Boundary Commission for England. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Bristol Central Borough Constituency" (PDF). Boundary Commission for England. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Revised proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the South West region". Boundary Commission for England. Archived from the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "The Electoral Calculus' profile of Bristol Central". Electoral Calculus. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ "Bristol Central most pro-immigration constituency in the UK". Bristol24/7. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ "Fifth Periodical Report" (PDF). Boundary Commission for England. 26 February 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ Baker, Carl; Johnston, Neil (20 March 2024). "Boundary review 2023: Which seats will change in the UK?". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ Cork, Tristan (30 June 2023). "New 'Bristol Central' election contest confirmed – and the Greens already say they can win it". BristolLive. Archived from the original on 12 April 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ Harris, Aden (13 September 2023). "Shadow sports minister Debbonaire admits she has never been to a football match". Bristol 24/7. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Booth, Martin (31 May 2024). "Khan Campaigns In Bristol Central To Support Debbonaire". Bristol 24/7. Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Walker, Peter (6 October 2023). "Green party says it plans to focus its effort on four seats at general election". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ Green, Tilly (28 June 2023). "Bristol constituency boundary changes halve Labour majority". Bristol Green Party. Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Full list of all Green Party candidates at the next general election". Bright Green. 17 September 2023. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ Ketibuah-Foley, Jasmine (3 May 2024). "Greens become biggest party in Bristol after poll". BBC News. Archived from the original on 4 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ Fisher, Lucy (30 May 2024). "Greens aim to win voters 'utterly uninspired' by Keir Starmer". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Bell-Cross, Lorin (30 May 2024). "Green Party accused of 'stirring division' over Palestinian flag leaflet". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Bristol Central Constituency". Reform UK. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Lib Dems announce Bristol candidates for the General Election". Bristol Liberal Democrats. 23 May 2024. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ Williams, Samuel [@SPSWilliams] (2 June 2024). "It's a huge privilege to be selected as the parliamentary candidate for Bristol Central" (Tweet). Retrieved 3 June 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ "UK election 2024". The Economist. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "Predict the UK general election result". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ Booth, Martin (3 June 2024). "Carol Vorderman: 'I Wish the Race in Bristol Central Wasn't Between Two Great Women With Strong Political Voices'". Bristol 24/7. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "How Bristol constituency boundaries could change". BBC News. 8 November 2022. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll". Bristol City Council. 7 June 2024. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ "General election results 2024". Bristol City Council. 5 July 2024. Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
Sources
edit- Craig, Fred W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
External links
edit- Bristol Central UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK