Dan Jarvis selected as Labour South Yorkshire mayoral candidate
2 min read
Dan Jarvis has been selected as Labour’s candidate to become the first directly-elected mayor for South Yorkshire.
The former shadow minister won 58% of the vote as he defeated Sheffield councillor Ben Curran to win the nomination.
Mr Jarvis won support from 2,584 local Labour members, compared to Mr Curran’s 1,903, on a turnout of 37%.
The result could mean Mr Jarvis is forced to resign his Barnsley Central seat, after Labour's National Executive Committee ruled earlier this week that MPs cannot hold more than one full-time elected post simultaneously.
PoliticsHome revealed in January that Mr Jarvis had initially planned to retain his parliamentary seat and use the platform to campaign for a wider devolution deal covering the whole of Yorkshire.
Prior to the candidacy selection, Mr Jarvis said being forced to quit the Commons would be “needlessly squandering” his position to pile pressure on the Government in Westminster.
As well as the city of Sheffield, the holder of the post will be in charge of devolution in Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster.
Mr Jarvis praised the “comradely contest” in the run-up to his selection by local party members, adding that it came at a “pivotal time” for the region.
“Thank you to Labour party members across South Yorkshire for selecting me to be their mayoral candidate,” he said in a statement.
“I am proud to have been chosen, grateful for the opportunity to serve, and pleased to have been part of such a comradely contest; the conduct of our members has been in the best traditions of our Labour movement.
“The election of a Mayor comes at a pivotal moment for the Sheffield City Region. To make the most of new opportunities, our first mayor will need to work with both local and national government to negotiate the best possible deal for the people of South Yorkshire.
“Only then will the mayor be able to end the status quo of how decisions are made and how public services are delivered; and use both devolution and cooperative principles to offer a more radical and effective way of serving the public.”
Mr Jarvis added that he had received a “vote of confidence” in pursuing further devolution in both the Sheffield City Region and then across “wider Yorkshire”.
His office refused to comment on whether he will stand down as an MP if he wins the mayoral race in May.
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