The parliamentary constituency of Filton and Bradley Stoke (FaBS) has a new member of parliament after Labour’s Claire Hazelgrove swept to victory in Thursday’s general election.
Her success ends a 14-year domination of the seat by the Conservatives’ Jack Lopresti, who had held it since its inception in 2010.
Labour’s share of the vote in FaBS rose from 38.4 percent in 2019 to 45.3 percent, an improvement which betters the national picture where the party’s vote share increased by a more modest 1.6 percentage points.
Mr Lopresti’s vote share slumped from 49.0 percent in 2019 to 25.3 percent.
Ms Hazelgrove secured victory with a majority of 19.8 percent, compared to Mr Lopresti’s majority of 10.5 percent at his last re-election in 2019.
Reform UK’s candidate Stephen Burge did well to secure third place from a standing start, securing 13.5 percent of the vote, and it is thought that he gained support from disillusioned former Conservative voters, which worked in favour of the Labour candidate.
Bradley Stoke town councillor James Nelson, standing for the Green Party, attracted 8.2 percent of the vote, up 5.3 percentage points on his party’s performance in 2019.
The Liberal Democrats’ candidate Benet Allen finished last with 7.1 percent of the vote.
Full result
- Claire Hazelgrove (Labour Party) – 22,905 [45.3%; +6.9%]
- Jack Lopresti (Conservative Party) – 12,905 [25.5%; -23.4%]
- Stephen Burge (Reform UK) – 6,819 [13.5%]
- James Nelson (Green Party) – 4,142 [8.2%; +5.3%]
- Benet Allen (Liberal Democrats) – 3,596 [7.1%; -2.2%]
Note: Delta (±) percentages are percentage point changes in vote share for the candidate’s party compared to 2019.
Turnout in the constituency was 65.1 percent, down from the 72.6 percent recorded in 2019.
Editor’s note: The constituency boundaries have changed since 2019, so comparisons should be treated with caution.
More information and related links
- 2024 General Election in Filton and Bradley Stoke (The Journal)
- Official result for Filton and Bradley Stoke (SGC)
🔴 Labour take Filton & Bradley Stoke from Cons
Claire Hazelgrove (Lab) 22,905
Jack Lopresti (Con) 12,905
Benet Allen (LD) 3,596
James Nelson (Green) 4,142
Stephen Burge (Reform) 6,819 pic.twitter.com/04IETOUNo6— Alex Turner (@alex_captain) July 5, 2024
Candidates’ reactions
Additional reporting by Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
Ms Hazelgrove said in her victory speech that it was time to end the “chaos and dysfunction” in Westminster.
She said:
“It’s the honour of my life to stand before you as Filton and Bradley Stoke’s first Labour MP.”
“I will work hard to repay your trust but no matter how you voted, I will work every day to serve everyone in our communities as an active, impactful and approachable MP you can be proud of.”
“I would like to pay tribute to Jack who has served our communities for 14 years.”
“Coming from a family of teachers, NHS workers and RAF service members, I have long believed in the importance of stepping forward to serve others.”
“People don’t ask for too much here – security, stability, fairness, knowing that if we work hard then we should have the same chance as anyone else to fulfil our potential, that we will be able to provide for our families through good wages earned through decent jobs, to enjoy life and give back in our own way.”
“But that British promise has felt at risk or, at worst, shattered, for far too many.”
“It will take time to deliver the scale of change that Britain needs but in me you have an MP who will listen and act.”
“It’s time to end the chaos and dysfunction in Westminster and start to rebuild our country together.”
“While the campaign may have ended, the hard work of change starts now. Let’s get to it.”
The honour of my life. Thank you, so very much, to everyone who has put their trust in me.
With a 10,000 majority the message is clear: people want change.
I will work every day to deliver security, stability and fairness and be an MP you can be proud of.
Thank you to my team! https://t.co/rzpux8Mupe
— Claire Hazelgrove (@CHazelgrove) July 5, 2024
Mr Lopresti said:
“It has been the absolute honour of my life to represent the wonderful people of the Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency and community of our area and I would like to thank them all for their support, their kindness and what we’ve achieved together over the last 14 years.”
“We’ve got a fantastic new town being built on the airfield site, a STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) learning centre that pays homage to our fantastic aviation heritage and history, and a permanent and fitting memorial for the last Concorde.”
“I would like to congratulate Claire for the way she conducted her campaign and the way we dealt with each other.”
“It’s been professional, courteous and kind, and may I wish her all the luck in the world, and I am sure she will make a very good member of parliament.”
