Bristol Central
Bristol Central is a parliamentary constituency located within the City of Bristol in South West England. It returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Since 2024, it has been represented by Carla Denyer, former co-leader of the Green Party.
A constituency of this name existed from 1918 to 1974. The modern constituency was re-established in 2024 as a successor to Bristol West.
Constituency profile
The Bristol Central constituency is located within Bristol, a city in South West England. It is entirely urban and contains the city centre along with neighbourhoods to its north and west, including St Werburghs, Bishopston and Clifton. Bristol is a major port city and has a long history of trade, including the slave trade. The constituency contains the University of Bristol and thus has a large student population.Compared to national averages, residents of Bristol Central are considerably younger and have very high levels of education and professional employment. They are largely unmarried, irreligious and have low levels of deprivation. Clifton is highly affluent and is one of the 10% least-deprived areas in England. The constituency is slightly more ethnically diverse than the rest of the country; 78% of residents are White, 8% are Asian and 6% are Black. Bristol Central has also been reported to be the most pro-immigration constituency in the United Kingdom; 55% of voters wanted fewer controls and higher levels of immigration in the city according to a survey published by The Telegraph.
At the city council, all wards in the Bristol Central constituency are represented by Green Party councillors. Voters in the constituency overwhelmingly supported remaining in the European Union in the 2016 [Brexit referendum|2016 referendum]. An estimated 88% voted against Brexit, the highest rate of any constituency in the United Kingdom.
History
Bristol 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.
Modern constituency
Following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Bristol Central largely replaced Bristol West, comprising approximately 70% of the abolished constituency. It was first contested at the 2024 general election.2024 election
In 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. 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”.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. Following the May local elections, the Green Party became the biggest party in Bristol City Council. Denyer aimed to capitalise upon voters “feeling utterly uninspired by the potential of a Keir Starmer-led Labour party”. 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.
Other running candidates included, Reform UK's Robert Clarke, the Liberal Democrats's Nicholas Coombes, and the Conservatives's Samuel Williams.
At the beginning of the campaign, The Economist and the Financial Times predicted Labour would win in Bristol Central, based upon poll tracking. Constituent Carol Vorderman predicted the Green Party would win the election with 52% of the vote share.
Boundaries
Historic
1918–1950: 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
2024-present: The City of Bristol wards of Ashley, Central, Clifton, Clifton Down, Cotham, Hotwells and Harbourside, and Redland.The seat comprises the former Bristol West constituency – minus the wards of Ashley Down">Ashley (Bristol ward)">Ashley Down, which was moved to Bristol North West, and Lawrence Hill and Easton, which were moved to Bristol East.