Ex-police commissioner and Labour parliamentary hopeful charged with drink driving

Ashley Bertie, who served as West Midlands Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner (APCC) for four years, was arrested and charged following a one-vehicle crash in Oscott, Birmingham, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

He was released on bail and is due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court next month.

Bertie, aged 30, made the shortlist to be Labour's Wolverhampton North East candidate at the next general election but lost out to Sureena Brackenridge.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police, said: "We were called to reports of a crash involving one car on Warren Road, Oscott, just after 12.15am on Tuesday.

"Officers arrived and arrested a man aged 30 on suspicion of drink-driving. Ashley Bertie, of Shelley Drive, Birmingham, has now been charged with drink-driving and released on bail to appear at Birmingham magistrates on December 8."

Bertie became the youngest APCC in the country when he was appointed by then Labour PCC David Jamieson in 2016.

He is a member of the GMB and Community trade unions and has recently worked as chief executive of the Independent Custody Visiting Association.

His bid for the Wolverhampton North East candidacy saw him make the final two before constituency party members selected former city mayoress Mrs Brackenridge.

Earlier this year he lost out to Paulette Hamilton for Labour candidacy for the Erdington by-election.