Labour win West of England mayor role from Conservatives

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, with Dan Norris, left, during a visit to Bath, to support West of England metro mayoral candidate Dan Norris - Credit: PA

Labour candidate Dan Norris has been elected West of England mayor, beating Conservative candidate Samuel Williams.

Former government minister and Labour MP Dan Norris secured victory in a second preference vote run-off against his Tory rival.

Norris secured 59.1% of the vote in the second round compared to Williams’ 40.9%.

The position has been held by Tory Tim Bowles since its creation in 2017, but he stood down and did not seek re-election.

Speaking after the result, Norris said: “It’s a huge honour to be elected. Thank you.

“I will show the difference an active metro mayor makes for our region. This role is about collaboration and I’ll listen carefully and work co-operatively.”

He added: “I’ll hit the ground running with a Jobs & Skills summit in my first 100 days and launch my Green Recovery Plan.

“As we build back from the pandemic, invest in jobs and our high streets, let’s create a society where we keep looking out for each other and value what’s truly important.”

The win follows the re-election of Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham in the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester race, as well as successes in Doncaster and the Liverpool City mayoral contest.

But Labour suffered a heavy defeat in the Tees Valley mayoral election, where incumbent Tory Ben Houchen received 73% of the vote.