EXCL Labour MP Dan Jarvis prepares bid to become first elected mayor of South Yorkshire
3 min read
Dan Jarvis is preparing a dramatic bid to become the first directly-elected mayor of South Yorkshire, PoliticsHome can reveal.
The Labour MP for Barnsley Central confirmed his plans at a meeting of local party activists after taking soundings from allies.
However, he is not expected to immediately quit Westminster if he becomes mayor of the so-called Sheffield City Region - which also takes in the South Yorkshire council areas of Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster - in May's elections.
Instead, he plans to use the platform to campaign for ministers to give the go-ahead for a wider devolution deal covering the whole of Yorkshire.
At that point, it is understood he would announce his intention to quit the Commons in order to run for the new beefed-up role.
A source close to Mr Jarvis said: "The Sheffield City Region at the moment is too narrow in geography, too small in population and too shallow in powers.
"This is about the future of devolution across the whole of Yorkshire, which is what Dan wants to see."
A poll of voters in Barnsley and Doncaster last month revealed they support having an elected mayor for the whole of Yorkshire, rather than just the Sheffield City Region.
The plan also has the support of the majority of councils across Yorkshire, although it is understood that Communities Secretary Sajid Javid is opposed.
If Mr Jarvis were to eventually stand down as an MP in a bid to become mayor of Yorkshire, he would be following in the footsteps of Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram, both of whom did the same thing to run in Manchester and Liverpool respectively.
It would also mark the departure of another high-profile moderate from the parliamentary Labour party.
Tristram Hunt quit to become director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Michael Dugher stood down at the election to become chief executive of UK Music, and Jamie Reed resigned his seat at the end of 2016 and now works for Sellafield power station.
The former Army major, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was tipped by many as a future leader when he was first elected in 2011.
He served on Ed Miliband's front bench as a shadow minister, but has fallen out of favour under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.
One friend told PoliticsHome: "Dan Jarvis is supremely talented and hugely respected. He can win support not just from across the political spectrum in the Labour party, but from all parties and from every corner of South Yorkshire.
"He will also bring energy and ideas to the position so it can grow into something that is fit for purpose for the whole of Yorkshire, ensuring that the region doesn’t get left out and left behind."
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