News / Bristol
Bristol West: a triumph for young Labour voters
Thangam Debbonaire’s huge majority in Bristol West was helped by the constituency having the highest growth in Labour support among young voters of any seat in the UK.
The percentage change in the Labour vote among 18- to 24-year-olds since 2015 was more than 30 per cent, putting Bristol West as the clear national winner according to data compiled by the BBC:
The win for Debbonaire on the back of the groundswell of support for Jeremy Corbyn came despite the former professional cellist being vociferous in her criticism of the Labour leader less than 12 months ago.
“The reason I then voted ‘no confidence’ in him as leader is because I have no confidence in him as leader,” Debbonaire wrote in an open letter in July 2016.
“Plus I had found out from other front bench women how unwilling and unable Jeremy is to communicate with, listen to or work with anyone outside his narrow group.
“Since then he has stated publicly that he isn’t prioritising winning elections. How can I support a Labour leader who doesn’t want to form a Labour government when working people, the old, the young, the poor, the country, need a Labour government above everything?”
Read more: Labour win clean sweep of Bristol seats
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