Chris Skidmore by-election: Meet Kingswood Labour candidate Damien Egan

Labour’s general election candidate for Bristol North East, Damian Egan, has been selected to fight the upcoming Kingswood by-election, following Tory MP Chris Skidmore’s resignation in the south-west England constituency.

Just over a third of Kingswood will be absorbed into the new Bristol North East seat come the general election, providing the logic for Egan’s selection by the national executive committee in the awkwardly timed by-election – not long before boundaries are redrawn and voters head to the polls once more.

Egan is from Kingswood, though he’s currently also juggling the mayoralty of Lewisham in south London. He has an 11,220-vote Tory majority to overturn in Kingswood, with the regional party urging members to sign up to campaign to help him do it here.

Part of the rest of Kingswood will fall into the new North East Somerset and Hanham constituency, but it does not currently have a candidate, who might have thrown their hat into the ring for Kingswood. Applications for that and other “non-battleground” seats. close today.

West of England metro mayor Dan Norris revealed his ambitions for that constituency yesterday, and also to fight Kingswood just hours before Egan’s selection was confirmed last night.

Congratulations @damienegan, Labour’s candidate for the Kingswood byelection.#VoteLabour pic.twitter.com/pF2XduULcW

— Labour South West (@SWLabourParty) January 9, 2024

Egan said: “I’m looking forward to being able to go around the areas I grew up in and give residents a hardworking representative who’s on their side.

“Speaking to residents in Kingswood today, it’s clear that just like the former MP, people are fed up of this government and ready for change. In just a few weeks, we’ll have the opportunity to send Rishi Sunak a message that it’s time for change.”

Egan’s website was down on Wednesday morning, potentially being updated from a focus on Bristol North East to Kingswood.

But until recently it stated: “I’m from Kingswood and lived in Fishponds and Staple Hill. Whilst work drew me towards London, my family’s here and my heart has never left.

“I believe there’s a better way to do politics; working with people to make real, lasting change. That’s what I’ve done in Lewisham: where we’ve turned our schools around, built council homes, created award winning parks and led on climate action, becoming the first sanctuary borough for refugees and defeating the Tories, Greens and Lib Dems time after time.

“I’m confident that together, we can do things differently to get the best for our part of Bristol. I’ll be the listening, active, people-focused MP our community needs, and I hope that I can earn your vote.”

Egan was born in Cork in Ireland, but went to school in Kingswood and has family locally.

A biography provided by Labour says that while growing up, Egan lived in temporary accommodation when he and his mother were made homeless. This experience “led him into politics and he became a parish councillor in Downend when he was 21”.