For bristol central, Carla Denyer has made history winning her seat as the cities first ever green member of parliament. They won the seat from Labour’s Thangam Debbonaire, who was previously tipped for a position at the heart of the new government. The historic win marks part of a seismic shift in support for the Greens both in Bristol and across the country.
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00:00The 2024 general election saw Labour take a landslide victory, ending 14 years of the
00:06Conservative government. In the South West, it has been a Conservative washout.
00:11For Bristol Central, Carla Denyer has made history,
00:14winning her seat as the city's first ever Green Member of Parliament.
00:19They won the seat from Labour's Sangam Debonair,
00:22who was previously tipped for a position at the heart of the new government.
00:27The Greens won a gigantic 56.6 per cent of the votes,
00:31more than 20 points ahead of Labour, who won 32.6 per cent,
00:36trailing far behind the Conservatives in third, followed by Breform UK,
00:40the Liberal Democrats and finally the Party of Women.
00:44The historic win marks part of a seismic shift in support of the Greens,
00:49both in Bristol and across the United Kingdom.
00:52Bristol Central forms most of the former Bristol West constituency,
00:57which was held by Labour since 2015. Let's chat to Carla Denyer,
01:02the new Bristol Central Member of Parliament, to find out what this win means to her.
01:07Having so many emotions right now. It's not really sunk in yet. I'm feeling
01:11elated. I'm feeling super grateful to everyone who voted Green,
01:15both here in Bristol Central and across the country. We've quadrupled our representation
01:20in the House of Commons. And here in Bristol, while we got one Green MP elected here in Bristol
01:25Central, we also came a good second in every other constituency in Bristol,
01:29which, to be honest, is far beyond what I thought would be possible.
01:32Well, I can't wait to get started. And I think the voters of Bristol Central
01:37really wanted to see an MP who represents their progressive, inclusive values in Westminster.
01:43So we're going to have a Labour government, a Labour government with a big majority.
01:48But voters saw the value of having a handful of Green MPs there.
01:52Well, as an MP, I don't get to run Bristol Central. It's not like a little fiefdom.
01:57But the good news is that everyone that lives in Bristol Central is also
02:00in the Bristol City Council area, which the Greens took the leadership of just a few weeks ago,
02:07this May. And so I will certainly be working closely with the new Green-led council,
02:12as well as with the other Labour MPs in the other constituencies in Bristol.
02:17I'll be pushing for policies that benefit everyone in Bristol because
02:21we're a really culturally rich city. We're a really diverse city.
02:25Denia's victory breaks a string of Labour wins across the country. While Labour have held
02:31Bristol East, Bristol North East, Bristol North West and Bristol South. Elsewhere,
02:37Liam Fox lost in North Somerset to Labour and Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg lost in North East Somerset
02:43and Hanham to Labour. In Filton and Bradley Stoke, Labour's Clare Hazel Grove beat Conservative
02:50Jack Leprestie. There has also been a Lib Dem game from the Conservatives in Thornberry and
02:55Yate and a Labour game from the Conservatives in Western Supermare.