# Bristol West (UK Parliament constituency)

Bristol West was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2015 by Thangam Debbonaire of the Labour Party. It mostly covered the central and western parts of Bristol.
Following the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was reduced in size, with part of the Bishopston and Ashley Down ward being transferred to Bristol North West, and Lawrence Hill and Easton wards to Bristol East. It was also renamed to Bristol Central, and was first contested at the 2024 general election.

## Constituency profile

More urban since boundary changes in 2010, the seat retains a high proportion of the city's most garden-rich, grandest houses and landscaped civic parks in affluent suburbs such as Clifton and Redland. Many of the townhouses in Bristol were subdivided in the latter half of the 20th century, during which time the size of the University of Bristol increased (the city's largest single independent employer which is chiefly in the seat). The seat also includes poorer areas such as Lawrence Hill and Easton.

## Boundaries

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Bristol wards: Clifton, St Augustine's, St Michael's, and Westbury, and the local government district of Horfield.
1918–1950: The County Borough of Bristol wards: Clifton North, Clifton South, Horfield, Redland, St Michael, and Westbury-on-Trym.
1950–1955: The County Borough of Bristol wards: Bishopston, Clifton, Redland, St Augustine, St James, and St Michael.
1955–1974: The County Borough of Bristol wards: Bishopston, Cabot, Clifton, Durdham, and Redland.
1974–1983: as above plus District
1983–1997: The City of Bristol wards of Ashley, Bishopston, Cabot, Clifton, Cotham, Henleaze, Redland, and Stoke Bishop.
1997–2010: as above plus Westbury-on-Trym.
2010–2024: as above less Westbury-on-Trym, Stoke Bishop and Henleaze, plus Clifton East, Easton, and Lawrence Hill
The above shows that the changes implemented for the 2010 general election boundaries were relatively great, recommended by a periodic impartial Boundary Commission review. Easton and Lawrence Hill wards were transferred from Bristol East, while Henleaze, Stoke Bishop and Westbury-on-Trym wards were lost to Bristol North West. During the 2007 review, a proposal to rename the constituency as "Bristol Central" was rejected.

## History

Held by Conservatives continuously for 112 years, it was at various points represented by Conservative cabinet ministers Michael Hicks-Beach, Oliver Stanley, Walter Monckton and William Waldegrave. As part of a national Labour Party landslide, exceeding that of 1945, the 1997 gain by Valerie Davey was from a third-placed starting point for the party's candidate in 1992. That win, declared on the night of the election at 3:15 am, took Labour over the threshold of 330 seats required for an overall majority in the new House of Commons. At the 2005 election the seat was Liberal Democrat target number 18, and Conservative target number 50; it had been frequently described in the media as a "three-way marginal", and all parties fought hard for the constituency. The seat was taken by Liberal Democrat Stephen Williams with a large majority, thought to have been aided by the large student electorate, hostile to Labour's top-up fees policy. This Liberal Democrat success was similar to those in other seats with a large student population, such as Cambridge, Manchester Withington, Leeds North West and Cardiff Central. In the 2010 election, Stephen Williams held the seat with an increased majority. In the 2015 general election, the Lib Dem vote fell by 29.2%; Williams came a distant third behind the winning Labour candidate Thangam Debbonaire and more than 5,000 votes behind the Green Party candidate, who achieved the greatest increase in the Green vote (+23%) in any seat that election. In 2017 Bristol West had the biggest swing to Labour in the country. The 52.1% majority was also the largest in the seat since 1931.
In the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union, the constituency voted remain by 79.3%. This was the second highest support for remain for a constituency.
As a result of the formation of a Brexit 'Unite to Remain' pact between the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru prior to the 2019 snap election, the Liberal Democrats agreed to withdraw from the Bristol West election in favour of the Green Party. The result was a doubling of the Green vote and a reduction in the Labour majority by almost 10,000, but with a majority of over 28,000 for the Labour Party, the seat remains very safe.
As of February 2023, 17 of the 20 city councillors in the Bristol West Constituency were from the Green Party.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | Michael Hicks-Beach | Conservative |
| 1906 | George Gibbs | Conservative |
| 1928 by-election | Cyril Culverwell | Conservative |
| 1945 | Oliver Stanley | Conservative |
| 1951 by-election | Walter Monckton | Conservative |
| 1957 by-election | Robert Cooke | Conservative |
| 1979 | William Waldegrave | Conservative |
| 1997 | Valerie Davey | Labour |
| 2005 | Stephen Williams | Liberal Democrats |
| 2015 | Thangam Debbonaire | Labour |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Thangam Debbonaire | 47,028 | 62.3 | −3.6 |
| | Green | Carla Denyer | 18,809 | 24.9 | +12.0 |
| | Conservative | Suria Aujla | 8,822 | 11.7 | −2.1 |
| | Brexit Party | Neil Hipkiss | 869 | 1.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 28,219 | 37.4 | −14.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 75,528 | 76.1 | −1.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 2017: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Thangam Debbonaire | 47,213 | 65.9 | +30.2 |
| | Conservative | Annabel Tall | 9,877 | 13.8 | −1.4 |
| | Green | Molly Scott Cato | 9,216 | 12.9 | −13.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Williams | 5,201 | 7.3 | −11.5 |
| | Money Free Party | Jodian Rodgers | 101 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 37,336 | 52.1 | +43.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 71,608 | 77.1 | +5.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +15.8 | |
General election 2015: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Thangam Debbonaire | 22,900 | 35.7 | +8.2 |
| | Green | Darren Hall | 17,227 | 26.8 | +23.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Williams | 12,103 | 18.8 | −29.2 |
| | Conservative | Claire Hiscott | 9,752 | 15.2 | −3.2 |
| | UKIP | Paul Turner | 1,940 | 3.0 | +1.8 |
| | Independent | Dawn Parry | 204 | 0.3 | New |
| | Left Unity | Stewart Weston | 92 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,673 | 8.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 64,218 | 72.0 | +5.1 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
(Note that the vote-share changes for 2010 are from the notional results on the new boundaries, not the actual 2005 results)
General election 2010: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Williams | 26,593 | 48.0 | +8.9 |
| | Labour | Paul Smith | 15,227 | 27.5 | –9.0 |
| | Conservative | Nick Yarker | 10,169 | 18.4 | +2.0 |
| | Green | Ricky Knight | 2,090 | 3.8 | –1.9 |
| | UKIP | Christopher Lees | 655 | 1.2 | –0.1 |
| | Independent | Danny Kushlick | 343 | 0.6 | New |
| | English Democrat | Jon Baker | 270 | 0.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,366 | 20.5 | +11.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,347 | 66.9 | +3.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +9.0 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Williams | 21,987 | 38.3 | +9.4 |
| | Labour | Valerie Davey | 16,859 | 29.4 | –7.4 |
| | Conservative | David Martin | 15,429 | 26.9 | –1.9 |
| | Green | Justin Quinnell | 2,163 | 3.8 | +0.3 |
| | UKIP | Simon Muir | 439 | 0.8 | –0.1 |
| | Socialist Labour | Bernard Kennedy | 329 | 0.6 | –0.5 |
| | Save Bristol North Baths Party | Douglas Reid | 190 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,128 | 8.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,396 | 70.5 | +4.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | +8.4 | |
General election 2001: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Valerie Davey | 20,505 | 36.8 | +1.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Williams | 16,079 | 28.9 | +0.9 |
| | Conservative | Pamela Chesters | 16,040 | 28.8 | –4.0 |
| | Green | John Devaney | 1,961 | 3.5 | +2.1 |
| | Socialist Labour | Bernard J. Kennedy | 590 | 1.1 | +0.7 |
| | UKIP | Simon D. Muir | 490 | 0.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,426 | 7.9 | +5.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,665 | 65.6 | –7.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Valerie Davey | 22,068 | 35.2 | +10.5 |
| | Conservative | William Waldegrave | 20,575 | 32.8 | –9.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Charles R. Boney | 17,551 | 28.0 | –2.7 |
| | Referendum | Margot Beauchamp | 1,304 | 2.1 | New |
| | Green | Justin Quinnell | 852 | 1.4 | –0.3 |
| | Socialist Labour | Roy Nurse | 244 | 0.4 | New |
| | Natural Law | Jai Brierley | 47 | 0.1 | –0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,493 | 2.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 62,641 | 73.8 | –0.2 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +11.4 | |
General election 1992: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Waldegrave | 22,169 | 42.2 | –3.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Charles Boney | 16,098 | 30.7 | –0.6 |
| | Labour | Hedley Bashforth | 12,992 | 24.7 | +3.8 |
| | Green | George Sawday | 906 | 1.7 | –0.3 |
| | Natural Law | David James Cross | 104 | 0.2 | New |
| | Revolutionary Communist | Ben Brent | 92 | 0.2 | New |
| | Struck Off and Die Doctors Alliance | Phil Hammond | 87 | 0.2 | New |
| | Anti-Federalist League | Timothy Hedges | 42 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,071 | 11.5 | –2.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,490 | 74.0 | –1.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | –1.4 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Waldegrave | 24,695 | 45.5 | –3.6 |
| | Liberal | George Ferguson | 16,992 | 31.3 | +1.9 |
| | Labour | Mary Georghiou | 11,337 | 20.9 | +1.4 |
| | Green | Gundula Dorey | 1,096 | 2.0 | +0.3 |
| | Communist | Veronica Ralph | 134 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,703 | 14.2 | –5.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,254 | 75.0 | +4.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1983: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | William Waldegrave | 25,400 | 49.1 |
| | Liberal | George Ferguson | 15,222 | 29.4 |
| | Labour | Pamela Tatlow | 10,094 | 19.5 |
| | Ecology | James Scott | 872 | 1.7 |
| | Independent | Sebastian Boyle | 142 | 0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,178 | 19.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,730 | 70.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Waldegrave | 22,257 | 52.6 | +5.7 |
| | Labour | Vivien Bath | 9,691 | 22.9 | −0.8 |
| | Liberal | Bernard Silver | 8,881 | 21.0 | −8.3 |
| | Ecology | John K. Ingham | 1,154 | 2.7 | New |
| | National Front | M. Jones | 246 | 0.6 | New |
| | United Democratic Party | Raymond R. Redmore | 93 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,566 | 29.7 | +12.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,322 | 71.6 | +6.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Cooke | 18,555 | 46.9 | −1.4 |
| | Liberal | Robert G.R. Stacey | 11,598 | 29.3 | −0.6 |
| | Labour | John Malos | 9,372 | 23.7 | +1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,957 | 17.6 | −0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,525 | 65.4 | −7.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Cooke | 21,141 | 48.3 | −11.9 |
| | Liberal | Robert G.R. Stacey | 13,076 | 29.9 | +14.6 |
| | Labour | John Malos | 9,526 | 21.8 | −2.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,065 | 18.4 | −17.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,743 | 72.7 | +6.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1970: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Cooke | 20,110 | 60.2 | +3.5 |
| | Labour | David J. Blackman | 8,175 | 24.5 | +0.8 |
| | Liberal | Robert G.R. Stacey | 5,108 | 15.3 | −4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,935 | 35.7 | +2.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,393 | 66.3 | −5.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Cooke | 19,783 | 56.7 | −1.3 |
| | Labour | Leslie Walter Bosisto | 8,265 | 23.7 | +3.7 |
| | Liberal | Robert G.R. Stacey | 6,850 | 19.6 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,518 | 33.0 | −4.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,898 | 72.2 | −1.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1964: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Cooke | 21,230 | 58.0 | −9.3 |
| | Liberal | Keith Basil Wedmore | 7,366 | 20.1 | +6.0 |
| | Labour | Donald McLaren | 7,306 | 20.0 | +1.4 |
| | Taxpayers' Coalition Party | P. Michael Kingston | 709 | 1.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,864 | 37.9 | −10.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,611 | 73.2 | −0.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Cooke | 27,768 | 67.3 | −8.0 |
| | Labour | Michael Cocks | 7,651 | 18.6 | −6.1 |
| | Liberal | Colin Hart-Leverton | 5,835 | 14.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20,117 | 48.7 | −1.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,254 | 73.6 | −1.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Bristol West by-election 7 March 1957 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Cooke | 24,585 | 70.2 | 5.1 |
| | Labour | Bill Rodgers | 10,423 | 29.8 | 5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,162 | 40.4 | 10.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,008 | 61.1 | 13.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Walter Monckton | 32,767 | 75.3 | +11.7 |
| | Labour | Walter Johnson | 10,766 | 24.7 | −4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22,001 | 50.6 | +15.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,533 | 74.6 | −6.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Walter Monckton | 25,858 | 63.6 | +4.7 |
| | Labour | Harold Lawrance | 11,716 | 28.8 | −1.2 |
| | Liberal | David Goldblatt | 3,115 | 7.7 | −3.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,142 | 34.8 | +5.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,689 | 80.6 | −1.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Bristol West by-election 15 February 1951 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Walter Monckton | 22,216 | 81.4 | 22.5 |
| | Labour | Harold Lawrance | 5,072 | 18.6 | 11.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,144 | 62.8 | 33.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,432 | 53.6 | 28.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1950: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Oliver Stanley | 24,920 | 58.9 | +10.3 |
| | Labour | Edward Bishop | 12,677 | 30.0 | −8.0 |
| | Liberal | Hilda Nuttall | 4,688 | 11.1 | −2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,243 | 28.9 | +18.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,285 | 82.4 | +7.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Oliver Stanley | 32,149 | 48.6 | −22.4 |
| | Labour | William Edward Balmer | 25,163 | 38.0 | +9.0 |
| | Liberal | Desmond Allhusen | 8,849 | 13.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,986 | 10.6 | −31.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 66,161 | 74.7 | +3.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Cyril Culverwell | 36,820 | 71.0 | −12.0 |
| | Labour | Percy Williams | 15,058 | 29.0 | +12.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,762 | 42.0 | −24.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,878 | 70.8 | −8.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1931: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Cyril Culverwell | 43,264 | 83.0 | +29.3 |
| | Labour | F. E. White | 8,875 | 17.0 | −8.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 34,389 | 66.0 | +37.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,139 | 79.3 | +1.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Cyril Culverwell | 25,416 | 53.7 | −25.3 |
| | Labour | Clare Annesley | 11,961 | 25.3 | +4.3 |
| | Liberal | William Nichols Marcy | 9,909 | 21.0 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,455 | 28.4 | −29.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,286 | 77.7 | +2.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 60,844 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −14.8 | |
1928 Bristol West by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Cyril Culverwell | 16,970 | 57.2 | −21.8 |
| | Labour | Clare Annesley | 7,702 | 26.0 | +5.0 |
| | Liberal | William Nichols Marcy | 4,996 | 16.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,268 | 31.2 | −26.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,688 | 67.6 | −7.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 43,900 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −13.4 | |
General election 1924: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | George Gibbs | 23,574 | 79.0 | N/A |
| | Labour | Matt Giles | 6,276 | 21.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,298 | 58.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,850 | 75.1 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 39,752 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1923: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | George Gibbs | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold |
General election 1922: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | George Gibbs | 18,124 | 62.0 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Frank Raffety | 11,100 | 38.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,024 | 24.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,224 | 76.9 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 38,013 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |
By-election, 1921: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | George Gibbs | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | George Gibbs | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

## Election results 1885–1918
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Hicks Beach | 3,876 | 61.1 | |
| | Liberal | Brinsley de Courcy Nixon | 2,463 | 38.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,413 | 22.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,339 | 82.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,657 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Hicks Beach | 3,819 | 68.0 | 6.9 |
| | Liberal | James Judd | 1,801 | 32.0 | 6.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,018 | 36.0 | 13.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,620 | 73.4 | 9.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,657 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 6.9 | |
Hicks Beach was appointed Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 11 Aug 1886: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Hicks Beach | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
Hicks Beach was appointed President of the Board of Trade, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 20 Feb 1888: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Hicks Beach | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Hicks Beach | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
By-election, 1895: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Hicks Beach | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1895: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Hicks Beach | 3,815 | 67.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Henry Hamilton Lawless | 1,842 | 32.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,973 | 34.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,657 | 69.5 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,144 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Hicks Beach | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1906: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Gibbs | 4,267 | 52.2 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Thomas Lennard | 3,902 | 47.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 365 | 4.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,169 | 86.7 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,423 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Gibbs | 5,159 | 57.1 | 4.9 |
| | Liberal | Walter Saise | 3,881 | 42.9 | 4.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,278 | 14.2 | 9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,040 | 89.3 | 2.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,127 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 4.9 | |
General election December 1910: Bristol West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Gibbs | 4,871 | 57.5 | 0.4 |
| | Liberal | Joseph Weston Stevens | 3,595 | 42.5 | 0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,276 | 15.0 | 0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,466 | 83.6 | 5.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,127 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 0.4 | |
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Unionist: George Gibbs
* Liberal: