Sir Keir Starmer calls on voters to back Labour in the West of England mayoral race, insisting his party has made “huge achievements” in the region, despite the local authority recently being placed in special measures and Labour’s current mayor facing serious allegations.
During a visit to a school in Bath, where he launched Labour’s free breakfast club initiative, the Prime Minister stressed that having a Labour mayor working alongside a Labour government would be key to delivering the change people “desperately want”.
“It makes all the difference,” he said. “We’ve worked with our local West of England Mayor on getting the economy going, making sure we’re working on local business initiatives. It’s been a huge part of this government’s agenda.”
However, the region’s Combined Authority (WECA)—which includes Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, and South Gloucestershire—was only taken out of special measures in March. And Labour’s current mayor, Dan Norris, was recently suspended following his arrest over allegations of sexual offences and rape involving a girl.
Despite the controversy, Sir Keir pushed ahead with his support for Labour’s new candidate. “We’ve got an excellent candidate for this mayoralty, and she knows the area backwards,” he said.
Labour is also facing growing pressure nationally, with polling dips and voter frustration fuelling a rise in support for parties like the Liberal Democrats, Greens and Reform UK. But Starmer made clear he sees the mayoral vote as a crucial opportunity for Labour to prove it can deliver at both local and national levels.
In the same visit, Starmer also commented publicly for the first time on the Supreme Court’s recent ruling clarifying the legal definition of a woman in the context of the Equality Act. While he previously said “trans women are women,” when asked to repeat that, he simply said: “I think the Supreme Court has answered that question.”
He added, “A woman is an adult female, and the court has made that clear. I welcome the judgment because it gives real clarity. It allows those who have to draw up guidance to be clear about what that guidance should say.”
As Labour battles controversy and competition in the run-up to the elections, Starmer is hoping that a mix of policy pledges and legal clarity will steady the ship—and keep voters on side.
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