Constituency profile

Bristol East

South West · Borough constituency · Bristol, City of borough

Kerry McCarthy MP
Sitting MP

Kerry McCarthy

Labour

First elected May 2005

Current PollCheck projection

Region & type
South West
Borough constituency, Bristol, City of council
Last 5 GE winners
LLLLL
Labour 5/5
EU referendum 2016
46.8% Leave
UK average 51.9%; -5.1pp below mean
Current outlook
Green +9.6pp
Vulnerability score 9/10 (Labour projected to lose)
SouthernBrexit-marginal

About the Bristol East constituency

Bristol East is a borough constituency in the South West, covering most or all of Bristol, City of. The sitting MP is Kerry McCarthy (Labour), first elected in May 2005.

At the 2024 general election, Labour won Bristol East with 45.0% of the vote, ahead of the Greens on 30.7%, a majority of 6,606 votes. Turnout was 60.7%.

If a general election were held today, PollCheck's projection at the current seven-poll average has the Greens on 38.9% and Labour on 29.3% in Bristol East, a margin of 9.6 points, a projected change from Labour since 2024. The projection updates automatically as new polls are added.

Demographically, Bristol East is closely divided in the 2016 EU referendum (an estimated 46.8% voted Leave in 2016). About 37.3% of residents hold a degree, 55.6% of homes are owner-occupied, and the seat has a median age of about 36 (2021 Census).

Across the most recent general elections on record here, the seat has been won by Labour each time.

Who lives in Bristol East? Constituency demographics

From the 2021 Census and 2016 EU referendum estimates. Constituency-level data on 2024 boundaries.

Leave vote 2016
46.8%
UK average ~52%
Degree or above
37.3%
UK average ~34%
No qualifications
17.8%
UK average ~18%
Owner-occupied
55.6%
UK average ~63%
Renting (social + private)
43.4%
UK average ~36%
Median age
35.6
UK median ~40
Age 65+
15.3%
UK average ~19%
Age 18-34
37.5%
UK average ~28%

How did Bristol East vote in 2024 and how would it vote now?

2024 vote shares from the HoC Library. Current projection is at the 7-poll average.

2024 general election

Lab hold · majority 6,606 votes (14.3pp) · turnout 60.7%

Current projection

If a general election were held today, at current poll average

Map of Bristol East

Switch between ward-level 2024 election winners and a demographic view. Ward winners are Britain Elects' / New Statesman modelled estimates with an average ~4pp margin of error per ward. The demographic view splits the seat into small neighbourhoods (around 1,500 residents each, from the 2021 Census). Hover any area for detail.

Council layer (not Westminster)

Bristol East within Bristol, City of

The Westminster constituency of Bristol East sits entirely within Bristol, City of Council. Local council elections are a separate ballot from Westminster general elections - English councils rotate their election cycles and Bristol, City of was not due to vote in 2026, so the figures below show the most recent council ward results available.

Council overlap

CouncilShare of seat
Bristol, City of
61 LSOAs
100%

Most recent council ward results

Latest council winner per ward. Where the council held a May 2026 election, those results are shown; otherwise we show the most recent available ward result (via DCLEAPIL, 2014-2024), or, where the seat was uncontested at the last election, the current sitting councillor from OpenCouncilData. The "Shift since GE2024" column is only computed for May 2026 results - earlier council votes pre-date the GE, so no directional shift is shown.

Ward GE2024 winner Latest council winner Shift since GE2024 Turnout

Projection trajectory

PollCheck's projection for Bristol East at each of the last 60 GB polls. Hover the chart for the underlying poll details.

Who has won Bristol East at past general elections?

2024 result is on current boundaries. The 2019 row is the UK Parliament's notional recalculation onto the 2024 boundaries (directly comparable to 2024). The 2010, 2015 and 2017 rows are on the boundaries in force at the time and aren't directly comparable.

Year Result MP Lab Con LD Right (Ref/UKIP) Green Other Majority Turnout
2010Lab holdKerry McCarthy36.6%28.3%24.4%3.4% UKIP1.8%5.5%3,72264.8%
2015Lab holdKerry McCarthy39.3%30.7%5.8%15.5% UKIP8.3%0.5%3,98064.9%+0.1
2017Lab holdKerry McCarthy60.7%34.4%2.7%-2.2%-13,39470.1%+5.2
2019notionalLabour winnerKerry McCarthy 2019 MP, pre-review boundary58.4%23.3%6.9%-8.4%3.0%19,39372.8%+2.7
2024Lab holdKerry McCarthy45.0%14.0%5.9%-30.7%4.5%6,60660.7%-12.1

Earlier years are on pre-2024 boundaries; comparable results on the new boundary will be added when sourced.

Constituencies most like Bristol East

Five seats with similar demographic profiles to Bristol East. Politics shown for context.

What would change this seat?

Move the sliders to set national vote shares. The per-seat projection updates live. Reset returns to the current 7-poll average.

Related

Sources

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