Labour Leader Keir Starmer and Thangam Debbonaire during the election campaign

Debbonaire had been widely expected to become Culture Secretary in a Labour government

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Debbonaire and Frazer lose seats

Labour's Thangam Debbonaire had been widely expected to become Culture Secretary had she retained her Bristol Central seat.

Neil Puffett
3 min read

Shadow Culture Secretary Thangam Debbonaire and Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer are among a host of high profile politicians to lose their seats in parliament following yesterday's general election.

Debbonaire, who had been an MP since 2010, lost sizeably to Green Party co-Leader Carla Denyer who secured 24,539 votes in Bristol Central to Debbonaire's 14,132.

Meanwhile, Lucy Frazer, who had served as Culture Secretary since February 2022, also lost her seat, with Charlotte Cane of the Liberal Democrats winning the contest in Ely and East Cambridgeshire. Frazer's immediate predecessor Michelle Donelan also lost.

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With a landslide victory for Labour, Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be deciding on his cabinet over the next few days. 

Debbonaire had been widely expected to become his Culture Secretary had she retained her seat.

Prior to her political career, she worked as a professional cellist and has spoken at length about her plans for the arts sector should she become Culture Secretary, including exploring opportunities for additional investment and making creativity central to the school curriculum.

Speaking following her defeat she said: "Across the country, in these islands, people have voted for a Labour government and I couldn't be prouder of my part in seeing that happen. 

"Fourteen long years of chaos and division have finally come to an end and with a Labour government we are going to get investment in renewable energy, we are going to bring down hospital waiting times, we are going to put more teachers back into schools where they need to be and I couldn't be prouder of the fact that creativity will be put back to the heart of every child's education."

Jonathan Reynolds, who has served as Labour's Shadow Business Secretary said he believes Debbonaire, and former Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Jonathan Ashworth, who also lost his seat, will work for government in the future.

"Jonathan [Ashworth] is a great guy – Thangam as well. [They are] a huge part of the team and everyone is thinking of them. [In] British politics today, there's no such thing as safe seats. There will be roles for them in the future, I'm certain."

Barbara Keeley, who was Shadow Arts Minister prior to standing down as an MP at the election, is among several Labour politicians to receive peerages.