Green surge in Bristol makes them main challenger to Labour now

A Green surge right across Bristol not only saw the party’s first-ever MP in the city, but also saw voters put them in second place in every single other constituency.

The Green Party are now officially the main challengers to Labour in all five of Bristol’s constituencies - after Carla Denyer’s victory in Bristol Central was followed by strong support right across the city. A total of 65,762 people voted Green in the five Bristol constituencies.

In Bristol East, the Green Party candidate Ani Stafford-Townsend won more than 30 per cent of the vote to cut Labour’s majority down to just 6,606, while in Bristol South and Bristol North West, the Greens leapt from fourth place last time around to second.

Read next: New Bristol Green MP Carla Denyer thanks voters who 'made history'

Read more: Bristol Central General Election results: Greens win historic victory

Victorious Green MP Carla Denyer, the party’s co-leader, showed that her success - which was matched by Green wins in three other constituencies around the country - meant that people could vote Green and potentially get a Green MP.

“I'm feeling over the moon and so grateful for all of the support we received from voters in Bristol Central and across the country,” she said. "We know voters like our policies. Policies like an increased minimum wage and better investment in public services.

"We went into this election with an ambitious but realistic target to quadruple our number of MPs. The voters have spoken, I think this is the direction of travel for Greens from now on,” she added.

In Bristol South, which has always been a safe Labour seat with Labour ahead of the Conservatives, the Green Party lost their deposit in 2019 and came a lowly fourth. This time, however, with a surge in support from areas like Southville, Bedminster, Windmill Hill and Ashton, the Green Party candidate Jai Breitnauer surged into second place, cutting Labour’s majority to less than 10,000. Ms Breitnauer polled 25 per cent of the vote, as Reform UK knocked the Tories into fourth place.

In the new constituency of Bristol North East, local Green councillor Lorraine Francis did a little jig as the results were announced confirming that she also finished second to Labour’s Damien Egan. She polled 7,837 - putting her clear of the Conservatives in third place.

And in Bristol North West, Green candidate Mary Page - who was previously a Lib Dem and a key figure in the campaign to abolish Bristol’s directly elected Mayor position - came second as the Conservative vote imploded when they suspended their candidate Laura Saunders because of her involvement in the election day announcement betting scandal.

There were also strong showings in some parts of the city for Reform UK. The new political party led by Nigel Farage finished third in Bristol South with one in seven voters backing them, and fourth just behind the Tories in Bristol North East with 12.9 per cent of the vote, although the party finished with just 3.1 per cent of the vote in Bristol Central, and didn’t stand a candidate in Bristol East.

Across Bristol, the percentage share for the Green Party was considerably up on 2019. This was the Green Party performance in Bristol's five constituencies in 2024.

Bristol Central: 1st Carla Denyer , 24,539 votes - 56.6% (+30.6) - full story and results here

Bristol East: 2nd Ani Stafford-Townsend , 14,142 votes - 30.7% (+22.3) - full results here

Bristol South: 2nd Jai Breitnauer , 10,855 votes - 25% (+19.9) - full results here

Bristol NE: 2nd Lorraine Francis , 7,837 votes - 18.7% (+14.7) - full results here

Bristol NW: 2nd Mary Page 8,389 vote - 17.3% (+10.9) - full results here