Dan Jarvis wins battle against Labour bosses to stay on as MP if elected South Yorkshire mayor
2 min read
Dan Jarvis has won a major victory against Labour bosses enabling him to stay on as an MP if he is elected as South Yorkshire’s first mayor.
The Barnsley Central MP has been in discussions with the party’s ruling body since it announced that he could not hold two full-time posts at the same time, just days before his selection as Labour’s mayoral candidate.
The rule change meant Mr Jarvis would be forced to quit his Commons seat to stay in the running for the new role.
This is despite him clearly stating his intention to stay on as an MP when he entered the mayoral race.
Ahead of the selection, Mr Jarvis said he would use his position in Westminster to fight for a wider devolution deal involving the whole of Yorkshire.
In a statement today, Mr Jarvis said: “I am honoured to be Labour’s candidate for the Sheffield City Region mayoral election and I am looking forward to the campaign.
“This is an important role at a crucial moment and we must ensure that we elect a Labour mayor who will deliver a bold and radical plan for delivering real change for the people of South Yorkshire.”
The announcement represents a major climbdown for the party’s National Executive Committee, which gave Mr Jarvis a deadline of 5pm last Wednesday to say he would give up his Barnsley Central seat.
Yorkshire MPs rallied round the Labour backbencher, stating in a letter to chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party, John Cryer, that the last-minute rule change was “undemocratic” and “insulting to the members of South Yorkshire”.
Mr Jarvis beat Sheffield city councillor Ben Curran in the race to be Labour’s mayoral candidate last month, winning 58% of member’s votes.
The election to become South Yorkshire’s first mayor will take place on 3 May.
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