Bristol’s role in national politics will be changed

For the first time in 14 years, it looks like we are headed for a new government. As Bristol’s place in our national politics evolves, so must Cable’s.

Bristol Cable was founded during the austerity years of the coalition government. I must have written hundreds of articles about cuts to local services and how this is exacerbating inequality – attacking the Tory government from afar, with Westminster feeling quite far away.

But now, Bristol’s role in our national politics is on the verge of a major change.

The first general election in Cable’s history in 2015 saw three Labor MPs and one Tory, and the subsequent elections saw the entire city red.

We’ve written about Tory MPs outside Bristol, from Jack Lopresti going on multiple trips paid for by dictatorships such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, to accepting donations from a private jet mogul in the run-up to the 2019 election. By we also revealed that Brexit bad boy Arron Banks lied to parliament about the political work his insurance company did for his controversial leave campaign.

During the 14 years of Conservative government, Bristol’s Labor MPs were conspicuously in opposition. The Cable has often interviewed them when calling the government to account, looking at potential reforms or reporting on issues facing their constituents. They even took our reports to parliament.

In 2019, we covered the snap election in depth, spoke to voters, explored the big issues, reported on Lib Dem bar charts and the dark money that was funneled into local campaigning. But in the end not much changed. Labor MPs kept their seats but remained in opposition and Labor failed to unseat Tory MPs from the Bristol suburbs.

But now, in 2024, it looks like we’re approaching a moment of real change. Keir Starmer is likely to become Prime Minister and bring Labor back to power after 14 years in the wilderness.

Whether you believe Starmer really brings a genuine alternative or some hope, Bristol’s role in our national politics will be overturned. In a month’s time, Bristol’s current four MPs could take up roles in a newly formed government, holding real power to be held to account for the first time.

Thangam Debbonaire is the shadow secretary for culture, media and sport, Darren Jones – who is currently being urged to talk about how Labor will not raise taxes or increase spending too much – is effectively No 2 to the chancellor in The Shadow . Kerry McCarthy is the shadow minister for climate change and Karin Smyth is the shadow minister for health. Although these are smaller roles, they will still play important roles in tackling two of the biggest issues we face: the climate crisis and fixing the mess the NHS is in.

Bristol could also become only the second seat in the country to elect a Green MP as Carla Denyer campaigns hard to unseat Debonnaire in the new seat of Bristol Central. If elected, Denyer could even be the only Green voice in parliament and end up playing a similar role to what Caroline Lucas did in 2010.

As Bristol’s place in our national politics evolves, so must Cable’s role. We will have to hold local Labor MPs to account more directly if they are in the next government.

Over the next five weeks, our team of reporters will take to the streets to cover key battleground constituencies, investigating questionable donations and dubious campaign tactics, and talking to key organizations across the city about the election’s big issues. We will also focus on Bristol Central, where Labor and the Greens will battle it out.

But then, after the dust settles, we’ll be holding our local MPs’ feet to the fire. It remains unclear whether Starmer’s Labor will really tackle the major issues we face, from inequality and creaking public services to meaningful action on climate change. However, our journalists will continue to dig into these structural issues through their reporting and tell them if the new government does not bring real change.

Read our briefing note and listen to our podcast to start our coverage of the 2024 general election. You can read all our coverage here.