West Midlands Labour Party mayoral selection, 2016

Last updated
West Midlands Labour Party mayoral selection 2016
Flag of the West Midlands County.svg
May – August 2016

  Sion Simon.jpg
Candidate Siôn Simon Steve Bedser
First preferences71.21% 28.79%

Elected Mayoral candidate

Siôn Simon
Labour

The West Midlands Labour Party mayoral selection of 2016 was the process by which the Labour Party selected its candidate for Mayor of the West Midlands, to stand in the mayoral election on 4 May 2017.

The Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom that has been described as an alliance of social democrats, democratic socialists and trade unionists. The party's platform emphasises greater state intervention, social justice and strengthening workers' rights.

Mayor of the West Midlands

The Mayor of the West Midlands is a directly elected political post responsible for the metropolitan county of the West Midlands in the United Kingdom. The mayor chairs the West Midlands Combined Authority, and covers the Birmingham metropolitan area and Coventry. The first election took place on Thursday 4 May 2017. Andy Street, the inaugural mayor, will hold office for three years, with the term length being four years thereafter.

Contents

The selection took place amid the backdrop of the 2016 Labour Leadership election, with Simon being a close friend and ally of Tom Watson, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, who had been calling for incumbent Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn to step down. Steve Bedser pitched to Corbyn supporters, expressing his support for Corbyn, whilst simultaneously stating that Corbyn needed to improve his performance. [1] On 10 August 2016, Simon was announced as the winning candidate.

Tom Watson (Labour politician) British politician (Labour)

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Jeremy Corbyn Leader of the British Labour Party

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Candidates

Name Born Current/previous positions Announced candidacy Campaign website
(Slogan)
Sion Simon.jpg
Simon, Siôn Siôn Simon

23 December 1968
(age 49)

Member of the European Parliament
for West Midlands
(2014–present)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Creative Industries
(2009–10)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Further Education
(2008–09)
Member of Parliament
for Birmingham Erdington
(2001–10)

May 2016 [2] [3] [4] sion-simon.com
#Team Siôn
(Uniting the West Midlands)

Bedser, Steve Steve Bedser

August 1965
(age 52)
Businessman

Birmingham Council Cabinet member for Health and Well Being
(−2014) [5]
Birmingham Councillor for Kings Norton
(2012–2014) [6]

June 2016 [7]

    Not selected

    City Hospital, Birmingham Hospital in England

    City Hospital is a major hospital located in Birmingham, England, operated by the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust. It provides an extensive range of general and specialist hospital services. It is located in the Winson Green area of the west of the city. The trust is currently under the leadership of chair Richard Samuda and chief executive Toby Lewis.

    Declined

    Ian Austin (politician) Politician from England

    Ian Christopher Austin is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dudley North since the 2005 general election. Formerly a member of the Labour Party, he resigned from the party on 22 February 2019 to sit as an independent. He served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government from 2009 to 2010.

    Dudley North (UK Parliament constituency) Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom

    Dudley North is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Ian Austin of the Labour Party. Following his resignation from Labour on 22 February 2019, Austin now sits as an Independent.

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    Membership ballot

    The results of the selection were announced on the 10 August 2016. A total of 3,817 valid votes were cast. [10]

    First round
    Candidate Votes Percentage
    Siôn Simon 2,718
    71.21%
    Steve Bedser 1,099
    28.79%

    See also

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    References

    1. http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/corbyn-supporters-targeted-birmingham-labour-11609344
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 Walker, Jonathan (19 May 2016). "Battle to be Greater Birmingham Mayor is already becoming brutal".
    3. http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/first-official-candidate-west-midland-11432345
    4. http://tyburnmail.com/2016/06/06/sion-simon-bids-mayor-west-midlands/
    5. http://labourlist.org/2016/08/wholl-be-labours-candidate-for-west-midlands-metro-mayor/
    6. http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birmingham-city-council-elections-simon-7163400
    7. "Labour picks two candidates for West Midlands Mayor contest". Halesowen News. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
    8. Neil Elkes (13 June 2016). "Najma Hafeez: Brum's first Muslim woman councillor aiming to be West Midlands mayor". The Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
    9. 1 2 3 Neil Elkes (29 June 2016). "Euro-MP and ex-council social services chief to battle it out to be Labour mayor candidate". The Birmingham Post. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
    10. http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/labours-west-midlands-mayor-candidate-11724462