TRACY Brabin s victory in the West Yorkshire Mayor elections will be bittersweet given it triggers a by-election in the MP s constituency that Labour could struggle to win, according to a political expert. Ms Brabin s new role as the region s first directly elected mayor means she must stand down in Batley & Spen, a position she has held since the by-election triggered by the 2016 murder of Jo Cox. In addition Labour s majority in the constituency is around 3,500 votes - the same as in Hartlepool, the scene of a historic Conservative gain following Thursday s poll. Dr Andrew Mycock, reader in politics at the University of Huddersfield told the Telegraph & Argus: I think we can say that Tracy Brabin s victory in the mayoral election is a bittersweet victory. The fact that we will now have a by-election in Batley & Spen at a time when the Labour Party seems to be in in chaos nationally, it does not augur well for their prospects in Batley & Spen.
LABOUR S Tracy Brabin was announced as West Yorkshire’s first ever metro mayor on Sunday, calling it “an honour I can’t put into words”. It follows weeks of campaigning for the mayorality, which saw her go neck-and-neck with Conservative candidate Matthew Robinson, winning on second-preference votes. Ms Brabin, who is currently MP for Batley and Spen, said work would “start tomorrow”, before reiterating her manifesto pledges for extra police officers and jobs for young people. The Labour candidate took 261,170 of first preference votes out of 617,782 ballot papers in total. Her closest challenger, Conservative candidate Matt Robinson took 176,167 votes, while the Yorkshire Party’s Bob Buxton came a surprise third place with 58,851.
Former Corrie star and Labour MP Tracy Brabin elected as first West Yorkshire mayor
Ms Brabin has become the first female metro mayor in England on her 60th birthday
08:53, 10 MAY 2021
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Former Coronation Street actress turned Labour MP Tracy Brabin has been elected as the first West Yorkshire mayor.
She will now stand down from her role as Batley and Spen MP after first being elected to the House of Commons in a 2016 by-election, following the murder of Jo Cox.
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.”