Bristol North West


Bristol North West is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Darren Jones of the Labour Party.

Constituency profile

The Bristol North West constituency is located in the city of Bristol in South West England. It covers the suburbs to the north-west of the city centre and extends to the Severn Estuary. Neighbourhoods in the constituency include Avonmouth, Shirehampton, Westbury-on-Trym, Stoke Bishop, Southmead and Horfield. Bristol is a major port city and has a long history of trade, including the slave trade. Avonmouth is the location of the Avonmouth Docks which make up most of the Port of Bristol. Stoke Bishop and its surrounding area are highly affluent and are in the top 10% least-deprived areas in the country, whilst there are high levels of deprivation in Avonmouth and Southmead.
Residents of Bristol North West are generally younger, wealthier, more likely to be degree-educated and more likely to work in professional employment compared to national averages. House prices in the constituency are high. The ethnic makeup is similar to the country as a whole; White people are 86% of the constituency's population. Local politics are mixed; Labour Party councillors represent Avonmouth and Southmead at the city council whilst the remainder of the constituency is represented by a mixture of Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens. An estimated 61% of voters in Bristol North West supported remaining in the European Union in the 2016 referendum, higher than the national figure of 48%.

History

Bristol North West has traditionally been a Conservative–Labour swing seat, having elected five Conservative Party and five Labour Party Members of Parliament since its creation in 1950.
The 2017 win was a surprise to the successful Labour candidate Darren Jones. Jones was re-elected in 2019 with an increased majority at an election where Labour suffered one of its worst ever defeats. He was re-elected in 2024 with a majority of 15,669, the largest recorded since the constituency was created, with the Conservatives falling to third place behind the Green Party.

Boundaries

The constituency boundary extends into the Severn Estuary.
1950–1955: The County Borough of Bristol wards of Avon, Durdham, Horfield, and Westbury-on-Trym.
1955–1983: The County Borough of Bristol wards of Avon, Henbury, Horfield, Southmead, and Westbury-on-Trym.
1983–1997: The City of Bristol wards of Avonmouth, Henbury, Horfield, Kingsweston, Lockleaze, Southmead, and Westbury-on-Trym, and the District of Northavon wards of Filton Charborough, Filton Conygre, Filton Northville, Stoke Gifford North, and Stoke Gifford South.
1997–2010: The City of Bristol wards of Avonmouth, Henbury, Horfield, Kingsweston, Lockleaze, and Southmead, and the South Gloucestershire wards of Filton Charborough, Filton Conygre, Filton Northville, Patchway Callicroft, Patchway Coniston, Patchway Stoke Lodge, Stoke Gifford North, and Stoke Gifford South.
2010–2024: The City of Bristol wards of Avonmouth, Henbury, Henleaze, Horfield, Kingsweston, Lockleaze, Southmead, Stoke Bishop, and Westbury-on-Trym.
Following the review by the Boundary Commission for England into parliamentary representation in the former county of Avon Somerset and Gloucestershire the constituency had boundary changes at the 2010 general election. In particular, the constituency is now wholly contained within the City of Bristol: the areas of Filton, Patchway, Stoke Gifford, Bradley Stoke and Aztec West which are in the South Gloucestershire district were transferred to a new Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency. At the same time, the areas of Stoke Bishop, Henleaze and Westbury-on-Trym were gained from Bristol West.
2024–present: The City of Bristol wards of: Avonmouth & Lawrence Weston; Bishopston & Ashley Down; Henbury & Brentry; Horfield; Southmead; Stoke Bishop; and Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze.

Elections

Elections in the 1950s