South West · England · 75,917Boundary · 2023

Bristol East

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Dispatch
Apr 2026

Represented by Lab since 2024. Covers Bristol and Kingswood and Fishponds. Population 120,162, notably young (median age 35 vs 41 nationally). Recorded crime is 83% above the national average.

One of McCarthy's longest-standing policy interests surfaced as a rare act of defiance in January 2026, when she broke from the Labour whip to vote against new regulations expanding the Public Order Act 2023 -- measures designed to criminalise interference with infrastructure by protest groups like Just Stop Oil. With a background as Labour's former shadow climate minister and environment dominating her recent parliamentary speeches, her resistance to tightening protest law in this area is consistent rather than surprising. Beyond that single rebel vote, she has been active in Bristol East on community issues: publicly challenging a developer over a deteriorating historic pub, raising concerns with police about a far-right march, and pressing the council on its Liveable Neighbourhood scheme.

McCarthy is a 99.7% party-line voter, making that January rebellion the defining deviation of her current parliamentary record. Her 82% voting participation sits broadly in line with the Commons average. Environment and energy dominate her 127 contributions across 42 debates, suggesting a sustained specialist focus rather than broad-brush engagement. Her stance profile reveals notable distance from her party on civil liberties (+34 percentage points above Labour's average) and parliamentary scrutiny (+25pp) -- consistent with her protest-law rebel vote -- while she scores near zero on pro-business and tough-on-crime measures.

398
Commons votes
This parliament
£28k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
75.9k
Electorate
2024 GE

Lab held for 5 consecutive elections.

Current Member of Parliament

Kerry McCarthy

Kerry McCarthy

Labour Party

Kerry McCarthy is the Labour MP for Bristol East, and has been an MP continually since 5 May 2005.

Notable Votes

MPs voted on new regulations expanding the Public Order Act 2023 to criminalise interference with key national infrastructure, such as energy, transport, and water systems. This extends powers introduced to tackle disruptive protest tactics used by groups like Just Stop Oil.

MP voted NoAgainst party majorityLikely whipped

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Voting at a Glance

Represented by Lab since 2024. Covers Bristol and Kingswood and Fishponds. Population 120,162, notably young (median age 35 vs 41 nationally). Recorded crime is 83% above the national average.

2024 General Election

§ 06This week in Westminster.Live · today’s sittingOrder Paper · refreshed daily

McCarthy’s scheduled Commons activity this week — whipped divisions, oral questions, debates — drawn from the House of Commons Order Paper.

§ 07The record, at a glance.413 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where McCarthy has cast the most ballots — a proxy for engagement, not direction. Notable votes are the moments where the whip was free or where they broke ranks.

Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted · cumulative this Parliament
Taxation
91
Economy
84
Employment
45
Education
38
Crime & Policing
30
Constitution and Democracy
28
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip
Draft Public Order Act 2023 (Interference With Use or Operation of Key National Infrastructure) Regulations 202514 Jan 2026
No
§ 08The local picture.9 wards

Constituencies are not uniform. Below — the local council make-up, key facts worth knowing, and the neighbouring seats on either side.

WardCouncillorVotesParty
Brislington EastKatja Hornchen1,248Labour P
Brislington EastTimothy Charles Rippington1,209Labour P
Brislington WestAndrew John Varney1,574Liberal
Brislington WestJos Clark1,711Liberal
EastonBarry William Parsons2,523Green Pa
EastonJenny Bartle2,592Green Pa
KnowleCam Hayward1,542Green Pa
KnowleToby Wells1,482Green Pa
Lawrence HillShona Jemphrey1,700Green Pa
Lawrence HillYassin Hassan Mohamud1,900Green Pa
St George CentralAbi Finch1,726Green Pa
St George CentralCara Lavan1,496Green Pa
Population (2021 Census)
120,162
Electorate 75,917 · 2024 register
Median income
£27,700
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
25.0%
England average 20.0%
Schools
36
24 primary · 2 secondary
Next · dig deeperEvery division, question, speech and committee record

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More constituency data is being added, including local issue analysis and historical trends. Learn about our methodology. View data sources & attribution.