West Yorkshire’s Tracy Brabin breaks male monopoly on CA mayoral roles
Labour’s Tracy Brabin has been elected as the first mayor of West Yorkshire CA, meaning she is also the country’s first female metro mayor.
At the count yesterday, Ms Brabin received 59.8% of the vote after second preferences were included, with Conservative Matt Robinson on 40.2%.
Due to the police and crime elements of the role, she must now stand down from her post as MP for Batley and Spen, triggering a by-election.
On Twitter, Ms Brabin posted: “We did it! I m proud to be the first West Yorkshire Metro Mayor and I m incredibly humbled and grateful for every single vote. I will fight for every single resident so everyone has the opportunity to succeed. Thank you.”
While the overriding national media narrative following Thursday’s elections is of a reignited Labour civil war and triumph for Boris Johnson, it could be that this set of elections’ biggest long-term impact is on the position of mayor.
Beyond the Hartlepool parliamentary by-election, the polls’ theme of Tory triumph is surely best expressed through two Conservative mayoral victories.
Ben Houchen won the Tees Valley CA election by a whisker in 2017 but a country mile this time around. His 73% of the vote is greater than the Conservatives’ share in their safest parliamentary seat – and Teesside has a long history of being an area of Labour domination.
Angela Rayner sacked as Labour chair over disastrous election results Andrew Woodcock and Ashley Cowburn
Angela Rayner sacked as as Labour Party chairman
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Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has been dramatically sacked as the party’s chair and national campaign co-ordinator by Keir Starmer in the wake of this week’s disastrous election results.
The move is the first step in a wide-ranging shake-up of Labour’s top team being undertaken by Sir Keir after he promised changes in response to the “super Thursday” bloodbath.
Ms Rayner had come under criticism from some MPs for her stewardship of the campaign in the largest round of ballot outside a general election for many years.
VOTING in the 2021 Welsh Parliament election closed last night with people having to wait until later today to find out which party is in pole position to form the next government. Polls opened at 7am on Thursday and closed at 10pm in the first election since the legislature was renamed from the National Assembly of Wales, and the first to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote. The results will be seen as a reflection of how the Welsh public have rated First Minister Mark Drakeford and his government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Alyn Waters Country Park,Mold Rd, Gwersyllt, Wrexham Rachael and Ben Turpin and son Finlay 5 months