Former police chief targeted by Labour for commissioner

Mr Hughes, who stood down last October after seven years at the helm of the force, is understood to have been approached by Labour MPs and is said to be considering whether to stand.

Supporters of Mr Hughes believe he would be the ideal candidate as he has already taken on the Government over cuts and is not associated with a particular town or city in South Yorkshire so would not be seen as factional.

But some within the party are concerned about how easy it would be for the new chief constable to work with his predecessor looming over him if Mr Hughes were to win when the first elections are held in November.

A Labour source said: “There’s growing support for him, recognising what a strong candidate he would be with a wealth of experience in policing and huge respect for that. “He’s someone who would potentially take the fight to the Government over cuts to front line policing in South Yorkshire.”

The Yorkshire Post revealed on Saturday that former Home Secretary David Blunkett, the Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough MP, has ruled himself out of running for the post, but several contenders are likely to put themselves forward before a deadline set by the party for February 17.

Mr Hughes was highly regarded as a chief constable and irritated Ministers by being a strong critic of Government cuts to police grants. On leaving office, Mr Hughes raised concerns about who would stand to become the commissioner, saying: “What does worry me about having an independent Police and Crime Commissioner is that we will not get the people of the right calibre to take up that role.”

Asked about Labour pressure to stand, he told the Yorkshire Post: “That’s very interesting.”