Siôn Simon selected as Labour candidate for West Midlands Mayor
Siôn Simon has been selected as Labour's candidate for West Midlands Mayor after winning more than half of the votes in a members' ballot.
The West Midlands MEP is the first official candidate to be picked for the position.
Voters will go to the polls in May 2017 to elect the region's metro mayor, who will represent Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton.
Mr Simon, a former MP and Government minister, said he was 'honoured and humbled' by the 'overwhelming' size of his mandate to lead from regional party members.
"The election is a vital opportunity - amid Tory austerity and Brexit chaos - to bring real Labour government to the West Midlands," he said.
"We can do a better job of running our own region ourselves that the Tories ever have of running it from London.
"We in the West Midlands can show that under Labour growth and prosperity go hand in hand with social justice.
"It doesn't have to be a choice, and in a Labour West Midlands it won't be."
Mr Simon has been backed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
He said: "This will be an opportunity for Labour to set itself out as an alternative to this Tory government's failure to invest in local communities and public services."
Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson said: "The people of the West Midlands are looking for a figure who can unite us all, from the Black Country to Coventry, through Birmingham and Solihull.
"Siôn is a unifier, a big thinker and a strong leader.
"Every Labour member in the region will be campaigning to deliver a mayor that will, perhaps for the first time in our history, unify the whole of the region."
The Tory party is expected to name its candidate at the end of this month, with John Lewis managing director Andy Street the favourite.
UKIP is yet to unveil plans for a candidate.
