The Labour Party has chosen Claire Hazelgrove as its prospective parliamentary candidate for the Filton and Bradley Stoke (FaBS) constituency at the next general election.
The 34-year-old was selected from a short list of four by local party members at a hustings event held at Abbeywood Community School, Stoke Gifford, on Saturday 12th November 2022.
The other candidates on the short list were Bradley Stoke town councillor Angela Morey, Emersons Green town councillor Sadik Al-Hassan and Rob Logan.
Originally from Northamptonshire, Ms Hazelgrove read politics at the University of York and, as a 21-year-old student, stood as Labour’s candidate for Skipton and Ripon in the 2010 general election.
Her employment record since then includes: Deputy director of UK field operations for the Remain campaign ‘Britain Stronger In Europe’; Director of communities and networks at Friends of the Earth; and Director of engagement at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
She currently works as community and political engagement director at digital transformation company TPXimpact (formerly FutureGov), supporting councils and public sector institutions in the field of community engagement.
During her selection campaign Ms Hazelgrove received endorsements from West of England mayor Dan Norris, Darren Jones MP (Bristol West) and two former Labour parliamentary candidates for FaBS: Ian Boulton (2010 & 2015) and Mhairi Threlfall (2019).
Commenting on the result of the selection process, Filton and Bradley Stoke Labour Party chairperson Cllr Dayley Lawrence said:
“Claire is a great selection with lots to offer the residents of Filton and Bradley Stoke. She has a wealth of experience and a proven track record of campaigning. She will make an excellent member of parliament and fight hard for our constituency. I look forward to working with her to ensure we elect a Labour member of parliament.”
“I would also encourage any resident that wants help the Labour Party in our area to get in touch[1] and join our winning team.”
In a statement released in the week following her selection, Ms Hazelgrove said:
“I’m really grateful to have been selected as our parliamentary candidate by local party members this weekend.”
“While it won’t be easy to win here for the first time, I’ve been out knocking on doors and listening to hundreds of people here all year long, and they’ve told me they want change.”
“Twelve long years of Tory rule, both here and nationally, have left hard working people making impossible choices – between heating their homes and feeding their families. Pensioners aren’t getting that dignity in retirement they deserve, and young people aren’t getting much of a chance at all.”
“l will be making the case for a better politics, putting decency, aspiration and local people’s voices at the heart of change. I know we need to work hard here to earn people’s trust, and I will work to do that every day. Under Labour, life will be fairer.”
“It was a privilege to take part in the Royal British Legion’s remembrance parade in Staple Hill as my first engagement, and to lay a wreath in memory of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our tomorrows.”
“I’m proud that generations of my family have served in our forces. Seeing one of the oldest veterans and a young schoolchild lay a wreath together was an especially poignant moment in Page Park this Sunday.”
FaBS election history
The Filton and Bradley Stoke seat was created by the Boundary Commission ahead of the 2010 general election. It was won by Jack Lopresti (Conservative) who has gone on to hold it in three subsequent general elections (2015, 2017 & 2019).
Naomi Rylatt came closest to winning the seat for Labour in 2017, when Mr Lopresti’s majority was reduced to 4,190 (8.3 percent).
The next general election is scheduled to be held no later than January 2025, in accordance with The Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022.
A full record of general election results for the constituency can be found on the FaBS Wikipedia page (see link below).
More information and related links:
- Claire Hazelgrove for Filton and Bradley Stoke
- Claire Hazelgrove for Filton and Bradley Stoke on Facebook
- Claire Hazelgrove on Twitter
- Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency (Wikipedia)
- Elections in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)
[1] Bradley Stoke & Stoke Gifford Labour Party meets monthly and welcomes new members. For more information, contact secretary@stokes-labour-party.org.uk
