Bristol South: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Bristol South is represented in the House of Commons by Karin Smyth (Labour). The 2024 count gave Karin Smyth (Labour) 18,521 votes and Jai Breitnauer (Green Party) 10,855, a majority of 7,666. 43,403 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 75,533, 57.5% of those registered.
Key figures
What the figures show
The Annual Population Survey puts the employment rate for 16 to 64 year olds at 82.0% for April 2025 to March 2026, give or take 5.3 points. 15.1% were economically inactive.
Workplaces in Bristol South accounted for 37,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 3,520 local units for March 2026.
DWP figures count 5,860 children under 16 in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, 28.5% of children here against 26.0% across the UK. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 21.1% in 2021/22 to 21.3% in 2024/25.
In mid-2024 the ONS put the number of residents at 107,944; the estimate for 2014 was 98,698. There were more children under 16 (20,586) than residents aged 65 and over (14,798).
HM Land Registry sales put the middle house price at £325,000 for the year to March 2026. Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £199,995. It ranks 221st highest of 575 constituencies. 1,271 sales were registered in the period, against 1,623 in the year to March 2025.
Bristol South counted 43,458 households on Census day 2021; 15.6% of adults were retired and 34.9% of those in work were mostly working from home.
Residents of Bristol South earned more than jobs based there paid in April 2025: median full-time pay was £36,722 for workplace jobs and £39,336 for residents. In April 2024 the residents' figure was £39,083. The residents' figure ranks 262nd highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits stood at 2,955 in September 2026, a claimant rate of 4.1%. A year earlier the count was 2,840.
MP
Karin Smyth, Labour
- MP for Bristol South since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 7 May 2015
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Karin Smyth on this site
In Parliament
Hansard records these as Karin Smyth's latest words in Parliament, from 20 October 2026 to 22 October 2026. Hansard search returns 839 spoken contributions by Karin Smyth since 4 July 2024.
Yes, of course, and that is what the trust does. I would gently urge all hon. Members to work very closely with the entire trust on these issues to solve these problems. It is absolutely right that the trust is working with MPs.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I thank the hon. and gallant Member for North Devon (Ian Roome) for raising this very important matter. He calls attention not just to his own constituency but, as we have heard from others, to a broader issue that we face, particularly in our rural and coastal communities.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I am aware of the issues around the hon. Gentleman’s local hospital; I have worked with him closely as part of the new hospital programme as well. It is up to local systems to decide on the clinical pathways across the whole patch.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I am always keen to discuss and visit places in Dorset with my hon. Friend. I am happy to look, with him, at the integrated care board’s overall plan for the provision of all those services.
As the hon. Gentleman knows, the situation deteriorated massively under the 14 years of Conservative government. He is well aware of the fragmentation of all our services. He knows how the system was fragmented and what happened under those reforms.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 26 October 2026. Up to two items per debate; remarks under 40 characters are left out. All contributions in Hansard.
General election, 4 July 2024
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change in share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karin Smyth | Labour | 18,521 | 42.7% | −8.9 |
| Jai Breitnauer | Green Party | 10,855 | 25.0% | +19.9 |
| Richard Visick | Reform UK | 6,195 | 14.3% | +10.0 |
| Liz Brennan | Conservative | 4,947 | 11.4% | −21.4 |
| Andrew Brown | Liberal Democrat | 2,721 | 6.3% | 0.0 |
| Neil Norton | Social Democratic Party | 164 | 0.4% |
Result summary as published: Lab hold. Change in share is in percentage points against the notional 2019 result on the new boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library, election results (data, read 14 October 2026).
Results on these boundaries
| Date | Election | First | Second | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2024 | General election | Labour 42.7% | Green Party 25.0% | 7,666 | 57.5% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Labour 51.6% | Conservative 32.8% | 9,077 | 64.6% |
Only results on the constituency boundaries first used at the 2024 general election are shown. The 2019 figures are the House of Commons Library's notional estimates of how votes cast in 2019 would have fallen on these boundaries, not a result that was declared. Source: House of Commons Library, constituency results.
Councils
Bristol South lies within Bristol, City of.
- Bristol, City of E06000023
Who has power over Bristol South
Every body that makes decisions for Bristol South, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Bristol South this page: Karin Smyth (Labour) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
| Figure | Period | Publisher | Read | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | mid-2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimants as a share of residents aged 16 to 64 | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimant count | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Employment rate, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of residents | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of people working here | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median house price | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Homes sold | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, after housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, before housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Business sites (local units) | March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| People employed by businesses here | 2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Economically inactive, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Households | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents per square kilometre | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Workers mainly working from home | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents aged 16+ who are retired | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
"Data" is the file or query each figure was read from (its SHA-256 is in the link title); "area" shows the same table for this constituency alone.
Common questions
Who is the MP for Bristol South?
Karin Smyth (Labour), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Bristol South?
The House of Commons Library records 18,521 votes for Karin Smyth of Labour and a majority of 7,666; 57.5% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Bristol South?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 2,955, 4.1% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in Bristol South?
£325,000: the middle price of homes sold in the year to March 2026, published by the ONS from Land Registry records.
What is the average salary in Bristol South?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £39,336 (April 2025).
How many children in Bristol South live in low income families?
5,860 children under 16, 28.5%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of Bristol South?
107,944 in mid-2024, the latest ONS estimate.
Built 14 October 2026 from official records; how these pages are compiled. This page lists what the record shows and gives no verdict on the MP or the area. Link moved or figure wrong? Tell us.