News / Bristol
Election surprises and responses as Bristol turns red
A General Election that kept us guessing to the end has returned a resounding Labour victory in Bristol and celebrations are now commencing across the city.
Supporters express their gratitude at the result:
https://twitter.com/maryscorcoran/status/873111226343079936
is needed now More than ever
Thursday night was packed with surprises and while there has been an outpouring of joy and jubilation among red supporters, others, including Tory incumbent Charlotte Leslie, who was sensationally ousted by Darren Jones, are left licking their wounds.
Disappointment for Green candidate Molly Scott Cato after a hard fought campaign.
The Greens’ also faced a disappointing night after pinning their hopes on Bristol West as a chance to gain a second parliamentary seat, but only managing to secure third place behind Labour and – in a shock twist – the Tories.
Former Lib Dem MP Stephen Williams sank to fourth place with just 5,201 votes, a result that reflected another poor performance for the party across the board.
Nationally, the picture looked uncertain on Friday morning as the Conservative’s failure to secure a majority means a hung parliament. Early reports suggest Theresa May is seeking to forge some sort of coalition with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
Two of the main talking points around the city after Thursday night’s results are the resounding win for Thangam Debbonaire, who increased her majority to an incredible 37,336 – one of the biggest in the country for Labour – and Jones’ surprise victory in Bristol North West.
Labour supporters celebrate winning all four seats in Bristol
While Labour supporters in Bristol West reacted with rowdy, unbridled joy, the reaction in Bristol North West was a little more composed, prompting one Bristol24/7 reader to comment on how polite a constituency it is.
A victorious Darren Jones thanks supporters:
McCarthy’s agent, Kelvin Blake was full of pride following the result and told Bristol24/7: “It’s been great. We worked so hard and had a good 500-600 volunteers out – it’s just amazing.”
A collective of independent music venues in Bristol threw their weight behind Labour before the General Election and expressed their delight at the red clean sweep.
Chris Sharp, owner of the Fleece, expressed delight over the Labour win.
“Congratulations to Kerry McCarthy and Thangam Debbonaire on their resounding victories,” said Chris Sharp, owner of the Fleece.
“Both of them are passionate supporters of grass roots music venues so we are absolutely delighted with their results. We feel the venue’s future is a little safer with both of them re-elected.”
So, what now for the Greens?
Candidate for Bristol South Tony Dyer admitted the party will need to regroup, but vowed to keep environmental issues at the forefront in a city that he says clearly cares passionately.
Green party members (L-R) Jerome Thomas, Clive Stevens, Molly Scott Cato, Tony Dyer, Carla Denyer in one of the most congested spots in Bristol
“Clearly the result in Bristol West was disappointing,” said Dyer. “But at the same time, looking beyond Bristol at the national picture, the message has gone out that people are not prepared to accept Theresa May’s hard Brexit so it will be interesting to see what happens next.
“I understand Labour wants to talk to some of the other progressive parties about setting up a minority government.
“From my personal point of view, I will continue to work to make Bristol as green as possible.”
Karin Smyth revealed to Bristol24/7 that she will be marking her win by getting some sleep so she’s ready to celebrate her son’s birthday on Friday.
The writing was on the wall, or more accurately, the hedge in Bristol South:
Bristol was heralded a champion for women in politics in 2015 when all four constituencies elected a female MP.
While Jones’ victory brought the city’s all-female reign to an end, it was a good election for women across the board as a record number are set to take seats in the Houses of Commons.
And finally, while commentators continue to speculate over what the future holds for Britain, we will round off the General Election as it started with a word from Brenda, a local woman who shot to fame with her incredulous reaction when news of May’s shock announcement first broke:
Read more: Labour win clean sweep of Bristol seats
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