Beard Liberation Front
Media Release
6th December
Contact: Keith Flett 07803 167266
Challenge for Johnson as Parliamentary Beard of the Year result shows Tory beards are popular
The Beard Liberation Front the informal network of beard wearers has said that Ben Bradley, the Tory candidate for Mansfield on December 12th, has won the 2019 Parliamentary Beard of the Year poll.
Mr Bradley got around 75% of the vote with Mr Corbyn second on 20% with Stephen Kinnock a distant third.
Ben Bradley won in 2017 when Jeremy Corbyn didn’t stand but this is the first time he has beaten a full field of contestants.
The campaigners say that with just over 1,000 votes cast voting was significantly down on recent years, without question because the candidates had another vote next week that they were focused on.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has won the Award 8 times in total in 2001, 2007, 2011, 2012 (shared), 2014, 2015 and 2016. He was declared not eligible in 2017 to give newer Parliamentary beards a chance but won again in 2018
The Award is not about the politics of the beard wearer but about how well they have deployed their beard in public during the year, particularly in Parliament.
BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, Ben Bradley’s victory is a challenge for perpetually clean-shaven Boris Johnson. Tory beards are popular with voters. Will he now grow one?
Parliamentary Beard of the Year 2019 shortlist
Chris Elmore (Labour)
Lord Tony Greaves (LIbDem)
Lord Hylton (Crossbencher)
Jim McMahon (Labour)
Nadhim Zahawi (Tory)
Ben Bradley (Tory)
Barry Gardiner (Labour)
Stephen Kinnock (Labour)
Alex Cunningham (Labour)
Stephen Crabb (Tory)
Jeremy Corbyn (Labour)
Andy McDonald (Labour)
Crispin Blunt (Tory)
Andrew Gwynne (Labour)
Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour)
Recent winners
2011 Jeremy Corbyn
2012 Jeremy Corbyn/John Randall
2013 Julian Huppert
2014 Jeremy Corbyn
2015 Jeremy Corbyn
2016 Jeremy Corbyn
2017 Ben Bradley
2018 Jeremy Corbyn
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