General Election: Bristol South result sees Labour's Karin Smyth win again

Voters in the Bristol South constituency have voted in a Labour MP for the 23rd time in a row - a record dating back to 1935.

The rock-solid Labour stronghold saw Karin Smyth win 42.7 per cent of the vote, but with a decreased majority as the Green surge came strong south of the river.

The Green Party did well, moving up from fourth place in 2019 to second place now, as did Reform UK, as Conservative voters deserted the party.

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Bristol South - which covers the western side of everything south of the river, from Southville, Bedminster and Ashton to Bishopsworth, Withywood, Hartcliffe and Hengrove in the far south - has been a safe Labour seat since 1935, and has a history of electing Labour MPs for years on end. Karin Smyth is only the fourth different MP for the area since 1945, and was first elected in 2015 when she took over the seat from former Labour frontbencher Dawn Primarolo.

Recent council elections have seen the Green Party do well in areas nearest the river - in Southville, Windmill Hill and Bedminster - and for the first time since 2015, the Greens kept their deposit as their vote share increased from just 4.9 per cent in 2019 to 25 per cent now.

Reform UK also did well, improving on the 4.2 per cent of the vote won by the Brexit Party in 2019, as candidate Richard Visick, whose address was given on the ballot paper as one in Gibraltar, polled 14.3 per cent of the vote.

Karin Smyth now goes to Westminster as a Labour MP in a Labour Government for the first time, and will have a key role to play in the new government. She was the Shadow Minister for Health over the past year, and will hope to be a top minister going forward.

“I’m so grateful for all your support in the last nine years and in this campaign," Mrs Smyth said. "At this election after 14 wasted years in opposition, we look like we have earned the trust of the nation once again. You’ve not only elected me as your MP, but as part of a government to rebuild Britain.

“I know about the hardship that many people have encountered, the damage that this Tory government has done. And for some, this has bred a cynicism about the future, a belief that things can’t get better, that politics doesn’t help you with your problems. That changes today," she added.

The full result for Bristol South is as follows:

Karin Smyth (Labour) 18,521 (42.7 per cent, down 7.8)

Jai Breitnauer (Green) 10.855 (25 per cent, up 20.1)

Richard Visick (Reform UK) 6,195 (14.3 per cent)

Liz Brennan (Conservative) 4,947 (11.4 per cent, down 21.3)

Andrew Brown (Lib Dem) 2,721 (6.3 per cent, down 1.4)

Neil Norton (SDP) 164 (0.4 per cent)