Misplaced Pages

Bristol West
Former borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Bristol West in Avon
Location of Avon within England
County	City of Bristol
Electorate	84,571 (2018)
Major settlements	Bristol
1885–2024
Seats	One
Created from	Bristol
Replaced by	Bristol Central Bristol East Bristol North West

Bristol West was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2015 by Thangam Debbonaire of the Labour Party. It mostly covered the central and western parts of Bristol.

Following the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was reduced in size, with part of the Bishopston and Ashley Down ward being transferred to Bristol North West, and Lawrence Hill and Easton wards to Bristol East. It was also renamed to Bristol Central, and was first contested at the 2024 general election.

Constituency profile

More urban since boundary changes in 2010, the seat retains a high proportion of the city's most garden-rich, grandest houses and landscaped civic parks in affluent suburbs such as Clifton and Redland. Many of the townhouses in Bristol were subdivided in the latter half of the 20th century, during which time the size of the University of Bristol increased (the city's largest single independent employer which is chiefly in the seat). The seat also includes poorer areas such as Lawrence Hill and Easton.

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Bristol wards: Clifton, St Augustine's, St Michael's, and Westbury, and the local government district of Horfield.

1918–1950: The County Borough of Bristol wards: Clifton North, Clifton South, Horfield, Redland, St Michael, and Westbury-on-Trym.

1950–1955: The County Borough of Bristol wards: Bishopston, Clifton, Redland, St Augustine, St James, and St Michael.

1955–1974: The County Borough of Bristol wards: Bishopston, Cabot, Clifton, Durdham, and Redland.

1974–1983: as above plus District

1983–1997: The City of Bristol wards of Ashley, Bishopston, Cabot, Clifton, Cotham, Henleaze, Redland, and Stoke Bishop.

1997–2010: as above plus Westbury-on-Trym.

2010–2024: as above less Westbury-on-Trym, Stoke Bishop and Henleaze, plus Clifton East, Easton, and Lawrence Hill

The above shows that the changes implemented for the 2010 general election boundaries were relatively great, recommended by a periodic impartial Boundary Commission review. Easton and Lawrence Hill wards were transferred from Bristol East, while Henleaze, Stoke Bishop and Westbury-on-Trym wards were lost to Bristol North West. During the 2007 review, a proposal to rename the constituency as "Bristol Central" was rejected.

History

Held by Conservatives continuously for 112 years, it was at various points represented by Conservative cabinet ministers Michael Hicks-Beach, Oliver Stanley, Walter Monckton and William Waldegrave. As part of a national Labour Party landslide, exceeding that of 1945, the 1997 gain by Valerie Davey was from a third-placed starting point for the party's candidate in 1992. That win, declared on the night of the election at 3:15 am, took Labour over the threshold of 330 seats required for an overall majority in the new House of Commons. At the 2005 election the seat was Liberal Democrat target number 18, and Conservative target number 50; it had been frequently described in the media as a "three-way marginal", and all parties fought hard for the constituency. The seat was taken by Liberal Democrat Stephen Williams with a large majority, thought to have been aided by the large student electorate, hostile to Labour's top-up fees policy. This Liberal Democrat success was similar to those in other seats with a large student population, such as Cambridge, Manchester Withington, Leeds North West and Cardiff Central. In the 2010 election, Stephen Williams held the seat with an increased majority. In the 2015 general election, the Lib Dem vote fell by 29.2%; Williams came a distant third behind the winning Labour candidate Thangam Debbonaire and more than 5,000 votes behind the Green Party candidate, who achieved the greatest increase in the Green vote (+23%) in any seat that election. In 2017 Bristol West had the biggest swing to Labour in the country. The 52.1% majority was also the largest in the seat since 1931.

In the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union, the constituency voted remain by 79.3%. This was the second highest support for remain for a constituency.

As a result of the formation of a Brexit 'Unite to Remain' pact between the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru prior to the 2019 snap election, the Liberal Democrats agreed to withdraw from the Bristol West election in favour of the Green Party. The result was a doubling of the Green vote and a reduction in the Labour majority by almost 10,000, but with a majority of over 28,000 for the Labour Party, the seat remains very safe.

As of February 2023, 17 of the 20 city councillors in the Bristol West Constituency were from the Green Party.

Members of Parliament

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

(Note that the vote-share changes for 2010 are from the notional results on the new boundaries, not the actual 2005 results)

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Bristol West by-election 7 March 1957

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Cooke	24,585	70.2	5.1
	Labour	Bill Rodgers	10,423	29.8	5.1
Majority			14,162	40.4	10.2
Turnout			35,008	61.1	13.5
	Conservative hold		Swing

Bristol West by-election 15 February 1951

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Walter Monckton	22,216	81.4	22.5
	Labour	Harold Lawrance	5,072	18.6	11.4
Majority			17,144	62.8	33.9
Turnout			44,432	53.6	28.8
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1910s

Election results 1885–1918

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1886: Bristol West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Michael Hicks Beach	3,819	68.0	6.9
	Liberal	James Judd	1,801	32.0	6.9
Majority			2,018	36.0	13.8
Turnout			5,620	73.4	9.4
Registered electors			7,657
	Conservative hold		Swing	6.9

Hicks Beach was appointed Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, requiring a by-election.

Hicks Beach was appointed President of the Board of Trade, requiring a by-election.

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Bristol West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Gibbs	5,159	57.1	4.9
	Liberal	Walter Saise	3,881	42.9	4.9
Majority			1,278	14.2	9.8
Turnout			9,040	89.3	2.6
Registered electors			10,127
	Conservative hold		Swing	4.9

General election December 1910: Bristol West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Gibbs	4,871	57.5	0.4
	Liberal	Joseph Weston Stevens	3,595	42.5	0.4
Majority			1,276	15.0	0.8
Turnout			8,466	83.6	5.7
Registered electors			10,127
	Conservative hold		Swing	0.4

General Election 1914–15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Unionist: George Gibbs
• Liberal:

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Avon

References

1. "England Parliamentary electorates 2010–2018". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
2. "New 'Bristol Central' election contest confirmed – and the Greens already say they can win it". BristolLive. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
3. "How Bristol constituency boundaries could change". BBC News. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
4. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – South West | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
5. ^ "Fifth Periodical Report" (PDF). Boundary Commission for England. 26 February 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
6. "Order of Declaration in the 1997 Election". demon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
7. ^ "Election 2010: Bristol West". BBC News. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
8. "UK ELECTION RESULTS". electionresults.blogspot.co.uk.
9. "Bristol West". BBC News. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
10. "Revised estimates of leave vote in Westminster constituencies". Retrieved 26 October 2016.
11. "Unite to Remain Agreement". Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
12. Bristol World. By-election victory "paves the way" for Bristol's first Green Party MP. Retrieved 9 May 2023
13. "Bristol West 1885–". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 12 December 2015.
14. "Members 1979–2010" (PDF). House of Commons Library. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
15. "Statement of Persons Nominated".
16. "BBC Election Results". 9 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
17. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
18. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
19. Craig, F.W.S., ed. (1969). British parliamentary election results 1918–1949. Glasgow: Political Reference Publications. p. 109. ISBN 0-900178-01-9.
20. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, FWS Craig
21. ^ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
22. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
23. ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
24. ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916

External links

• Bristol West UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
• Bristol West UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK

51°27′47″N 2°36′30″W / 51.46301°N 2.60827°W / 51.46301; -2.60827

• Parliamentary constituencies in Bristol (historic)
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1885
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 2024