Bridgwater to be a ‘battleground’ seat at next general election

The Conservatives have held the current Bridgwater and West Somerset seat since 2010, with current MP Ian Liddell-Grainger increasing his majority at successive general elections.

Mr Liddell-Grainger will be standing in the new Tiverton and Minehead constituency at the next general election, which merges the western part of his current constituency with rural areas in mid Devon.

The Tories, Labour and Liberal Democrats are all throwing resources at the new Bridgwater constituency, which includes the towns of Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge along with the neighbouring villages.

Lib Dem candidate Claire Sully – who currently represents the Mendip South division on Somerset Council – said her party was “the only credible opposition” to the Tories in light of the central Labour Party stating the seat as “non-battleground”.

Claire Sully, the Liberal Democrats' candidate for the new constituency.

A leaked list, put together by Labour’s governance and legal unit, identified only one of the new Somerset seats as a priority – the new Frome and East Somerset constituency, which includes the towns of Midsomer Norton and Radstock (where Labour has traditionally performed well in the polls).

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Ms Sully said: “To all those who wish to see the back of more than a decade of Conservative failure in Bridgwater, North Petherton, Burnham-on Sea and Highbridge (and the surrounding area), I will be your voice.

“Tory incompetency must be stopped and a new representative installed in parliament, one who will champion your community and interests, be visible and accessible in the constituency.

“The latest circus at the heart of the Conservatives, where we see Conservative ministers and ex-ministers fighting each other, proves they are simply not up to the task of governing, and before any further damage is done, a general election must be called.

“Our residents deserve better, whether that’s in education, accessing public health, the environment or the crippling cost of living crisis.

“A vote for me and the Liberal Democrats is the only way to ensure the Conservatives are beaten at the next general election.”

Labour has not yet selected its candidate for the general election; however, the party has enjoyed a majority on Bridgwater Town Council for a number of years.

Bridgwater Town Council's deputy leader, Kathy Pearce, and leader, Brian Smedley. (Image: Bridgwater Labour)

The Bridgwater Labour Party said it was confident of winning the seat in light of the boundary changes and the party’s traditional strength in the area, reflected in the local election results from May 2022.

A spokesman said: “We believe that the new constituency is a winnable seat for us.

“We run Bridgwater Town Council, we have been the main challengers to the Tories in the former Bridgwater constituency, and were the principal opposition on Sedgemoor District Council.

“The Lib Dems have not a single councillor in Bridgwater and are clearly in third place here. To prove this they have had to import a Mendip councillor as their candidate.

“The current Tory MP Ian Liddell-Grainger has done a runner as he knows the seat is now not winnable. The Tories have imported a former MEP from Bristol who is totally unknown in the area.

“Labour’s recent victories in the seats of Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire clearly show that we can win seats like Bridgwater. All the polls show that Labour can win Bridgwater.

“Accordingly there is now an even greater demand from members to be the parliamentary contender, and we will be selecting the winning Labour candidate in January.”

Sir Ashley Fox after being named the Conservatives' candidate. (Image: Conservative Party)

The Tories’ candidate for the new Bridgwater seat is Sir Ashley Fox, who previously served as an MEP for the South West of England and Gibraltar for ten years between 2009 and 2019.

The polling website Electoral Calculus is currently predicting that the Tories will narrowly hold on to the new Bridgwater seat – but only by 107 votes.

A spokesman for Mr Fox said: “If people living and working Bridgwater and Burnham-on-Sea want an MP who focuses on their priorities of halving inflation, growing the economy, reducing debt, cutting waiting lists, and stopping the boats, they should vote for Ashley Fox.

“The benefits for Bridgwater of having a Conservative MP are clear, with the town being awarded £23.2m in government funding [for the Bridgwater town deal], Somerset now able to access a £2.8bn roads resurfacing fund, and further support to keep the popular £2 bus fare until the end of December 2024.

“Ashley Fox is an experienced local voice who has delivered previously as the MEP and is now set on delivering again for the people of Bridgwater and Burnham-on-Sea.”

The next general election must be held before January 28, 2025.