Jonathan Sayeed - MP For Bristol East, 1983-1992

MP For Bristol East, 1983-1992

Sayeed was twice an unsuccessful candidate for the Greater London Council before entering Parliament at his first attempt. He was elected MP for Bristol East at the 1983 General Election, where he defeated Tony Benn. The constituency was created for the 1983 general election, partly from the Bristol South East constituency, where Tony Benn had been MP for much of the previous 32 years. For the Conservatives, this was one of "the three great prizes" of the election, as Benn was "the man they most love to hate". Nationally, "Labour gained 27.6 per cent, its lowest showing since 1918 and not much above the Liberal/SDP Alliance."

In the 1987 General Election, Sayeed more than doubled his majority.

Sayeed served on the select committees for Defence and the Environment; was chairman of the Shipping and Shipbuilding Committee; and deputy chairman of the All-Party Maritime Group. In 1988, He secured an Urban Development Corporation for Bristol despite the opposition of the then Environment Secretary, Nicholas Ridley. Sayeed started to climb the ministerial ladder in 1991, when he was appointed parliamentary private secretary to Lord Belstead as Paymaster General. However in 1992 his career took a step backward when he lost his seat to Labour in the General Election.