Inside the battle for Bristol

Even if Keir Starmer wins a landslide majority next week, there is one former stronghold he might still lose. A Green insurgency is giving Thangam Debbonaire, the shadow culture secretary, the fight of her political life. 

In this election the Greens are posing as a radical-left alternative to Starmer’s Labour. And Bristol Central, known as the ‘most left-wing constituency in Britain’, is where they believe they stand the best chance of winning a second seat in parliament. 

Carla Denyer, the Greens’ co-leader, is the candidate here. Her manifesto: far more NHS and state spending, a tax on the rich, no university fees, free care-home costs, nationalised railways and net zero by 2040. 

When I interview Debbonaire, 57, she admits that defending her seat is quite a challenge. ‘It’s hard work for a good democratic reason,’ she says. ‘People here are really, really engaged. They’ve got lots of questions, they really want to know the detail on things, so it’s a tough campaign.