West Yorkshire Labour mayor would be 'big step' towards rebuilding red wall, Sir Keir Starmer says
Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer has said a Labour mayor in West Yorkshire would be a "big step" towards rebuilding the party's red wall in the north.
The Labour leader endorsed candidate Tracy Brabin, who is bidding to become the region's first elected mayor next May, saying she'd be a "strong voice" for the area.
Speaking on a visit to Wakefield, which voted in a Conservative MP for the first time since the 1930s last Christmas, Sir Keir said there was plenty of work to do to claw back some of the Labour's lost heartland seats.
Ms Brabin will stand down from her frontbench role in the Shadow Cabinet to concentrate on her mayoral campaign.
The Conservatives have yet to nominate a candidate to contest the role next May.
Speaking at a foodbank based at Lightwaves Leisure Centre in the city centre, alongside Ms Brabin on Thursday afternoon, Sir Keir said: "Tracy is an excellent candidate.
"We desperately need a strong voice in West Yorkshire and we'll hopefully get one next May if Tracy is elected.
"It would make a huge difference. Tracy lives and breathes West Yorkshire. The area needs a loud voice to stand up and Tracy is that voice.
"It's a critical part of the Labour party rebuilding trust across West Yorkshire and the red wall.
"We've a lot to do but that be a big step in the right direction."
If backed by voters, former Coronation Street actress Ms Brabin will be Labour's first female elected mayor.
While insisting she was not taking victory for granted, she quipped that she hoped to be "joining the boys' club on May 6."
And she rejected critics who claim the devolution deal means more bureaucracy and more politicians.
"I actually think it's an opportunity to talk and be connected more with our communities," she said.
"I'll be rolling up my sleeves. I'm not someone who sits in County Hall.
"I'm a collaborator and someone who can find consensus. We've got excellent council leaders who've led from the front during the pandemic.
"But now we absolutely need control over our own destiny."
Local Democracy Reporting Service