The race to become the first North East mayor has taken a stunning twist – with one of the leading candidates excluded from Labour’s selection contest.
Left-wing Jamie Driscoll, the party’s sitting mayor of the North of Tyne Combined Authority, has been left off a longlist of hopefuls vying to become Labour’s candidate for the mayoral election next May. Mr Driscoll has long been one of the favourites for the new job and launched his campaign last month to take on the larger mayoral patch being created by a £4bn devolution deal covering Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and Durham.
The decision to exclude a man described as the ‘last Corbynista in power’ leaves his main rival, Northumbria Police and Commissioner (PCC) Kim McGuinness, in a commanding position. Ms McGuinness, who is closely aligned to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, is on the longlist alongside ex-MEP Paul Brannen and Newcastle city councillor Nicu Ion.
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The battle to secure Labour’s candidacy this summer has long been viewed by political insiders as a straight fight between Mr Driscoll and the PCC, one that would be of national significance for the party. But cutting short the candidacy of Mr Driscoll, who previously chaired the Newcastle branch of the Momentum movement, has seemingly brought that intriguing internal contest to an unexpectedly early end.
A party spokesperson said that “some applicants did not meet the threshold required” but did not explain why Mr Driscoll had been kept off the list. Under Sir Keir’s leadership, Labour has been accused of a “purge” of candidates from the left of the party.
A Labour spokesperson said: “The North East Mayoralty is a unique opportunity for the people of the North East to take more control over the way our region is governed, with powers over housing, education, skills, transport and so much more. The Labour Party holds its candidates to a very high standard. During this process, some applicants did not meet the threshold required to proceed to the longlist stage. We do not comment on individual applications.
“Local members now have a fantastic longlist of candidates from which they will choose the Labour Party’s candidate to be the very first North East Mayor.”
Reacting to the shock news on Twitter, Mr Driscoll said that “no explanation has been given” for him being barred from the selection contest. He added: “I’m proud to have created thousands of jobs, fought child poverty, built affordable homes and delivered our Green New Deal. I believe in democracy. Share if you do too."
MP John McDonnell, who was Labour’s shadow chancellor under Mr Corbyn, called the decision to exclude Mr Driscoll from standing “staggering”. He said: “To refuse to allow a serving mayor onto even a selection long list demonstrates that factionalism in the party is completely out of control. Jamie Driscoll is widely credited with doing a great job. There can be no other motive for excluding him.”
At his campaign launch in Sunderland last month, where he was endorsed by RMT union chief Mick Lynch, Mr Driscoll outlined a pledge to end unemployment in the North East if he was elected next year. His manifesto has also included a commitment to create a ‘total transport network’, taking control of the bus network and integrating public transport services through a single ticket system.
A former Newcastle city councillor in the Monument ward, Mr Driscoll was catapulted to prominence when he stood to become Labour’s candidate for the North of Tyne mayoral election in 2019. He defeated former Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes in that contest and then won the election in May 2019 to head the existing combined authority, which only covers Newcastle, North Tyneside, and Northumberland.
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