After recovering from the shock of Rishi Sunak calling a general election on 4 July, Cable journalists Priyanka Raval and Matty Edwards sit down to preview what the election is going to look like in and around Bristol, and give their take on how the national campaign has unfolded so far, from the prime minister getting drenched to whether Keir Starmer is a socialist and Ed Davey’s antics.
They chat through which seats to watch out for, from Bristol Central where the Greens and their candidate Carla Denyer are campaigning hard to overturn Labour MP Thangam Debbonaire’s huge majority, to North East Somerset and Hanham, where right-wing Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg may have a fight on his hands to hold onto his seat.
At the last two elections, the political landscape in Bristol has remained largely unchanged. But now with Labour expected to form the next government, we could also see a big shift in how much power our local MPs have. Priy and Matty discuss what our sitting Labour MPs are all about and what roles they are likely to take up if Starmer becomes the next PM.
Matty gives a sneak peak of what expect over the next five weeks: the Cable’s team of reporters will be getting out onto the streets to cover the key battleground constituencies, digging into dubious donations and dodgy campaign tactics, and speaking to key organisations in the city about the big issues of the election. We’ll also have a special focus on Bristol Central, with plans to host a special Bristol Unpacked debate between Debbonaire and Denyer.
But first, you can read our bumper explainer to get a more detailed breakdown of all the seats, and editorial on what this moment of likely political upheaval means for the city and the Cable.
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