News / Politics
Denyer: ‘Becoming an MP hasn’t sunk in yet’
Carla Denyer said that when the realisation came that she might be actually become an MP in the early hours of Friday morning, she “suddenly felt rather queasy”.
“It’s not really sunk in yet to be honest,” Denyer told me soon soon before 1pm on Friday, only a few hours after she was officially declared the victor in a school hall in Brislington.
“I’m really elated with this result, not just in Bristol but nationally,” said the Green Party co-leader, now one of four Green MPs who will soon be heading to Westminster which includes her co-leader, Adrian Ramsay.
is needed now More than ever
Green representation in the House of Commons has quadrupled and there was also a huge increase in the party’s vote share across the UK with almost two million people putting a cross next to a Green candidate, equating to a 6.8 per cent share of the national vote, up 4.1 per cent since the last general election.
Denyer also said that it was “totally beyond (her) wildest dreams” that the Greens came second in every constituency in Bristol, other than in Bristol Central which she won.
In the process of winning, Denyer secured a majority of more than 10,000, beating incumbent Labour MP Thangam Debbonaire into second place.
On Friday afternoon, Lisa Nandy was appointed secretary of state for culture, media & sport by Keir Starmer, a job that would almost certainly have been given to Debbonaire if not for her electoral defeat.
Even before Denyer had left We The Curious where she was speaking to some national media outlets, she was being regularly approached by well-wishers offering their congratulations or politely asking for a selfie.
Denyer said that her primary focus now is on representing the people of Bristol Central, a newly created constituency that stretches from Hotwells in the west to St Werburgh’s in the east.
“And holding the incoming Labour government to account, pushing them to be a bit more bold and brave which I think is what the majority of Bristolians want to see from a government…
“A large Labour majority as we have could be a problem because they don’t have that accountability.
“And that’s why our job as a newly elected group of Green MPs will be really important to hold them to account, to support them in areas in which we think they’re going in the right direction but not being afraid to speak up when we think they aren’t being brave enough.”
Carla Denyer and her aides were all smiles when arriving at the Bristol Central count on Thursday night – photo: Rob Browne
Denyer, an engineer by trade, said that she got into politics to tackle the climate crisis.
“Tackling climate change is definitely top of my agenda and it is something that a lot of Bristolians care about.”
But her to-do list as an MP in Bristol is also to tackle the housing crisis, saying that the Greens’ housing policy “has really struck a chord in Bristol and across the country”.
“It’s not just about the sheer number of homes you build, but what kind of homes you build, in what places and at what prices.”
Before posing for another photograph with a smiling Green voter, Denyer admitted that she had not booked her train ticket from Temple Meads to Paddington yet, but it was another item on the to-do list for an MP ready to be a loud voice in the corridors of power.
Main photo & video: Steve Hynd
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