Kim McGuinness will kick off her bid to become North East mayor today with a promise to eradicate the region’s child poverty crisis.
The Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) will launch her campaign to become Labour’s candidate for next year’s mayoral election today, pledging to “end the days of the North East being in the shadow of Manchester or Leeds”. It comes after her rival for the nomination, current North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll, made his pitch last Friday with a commitment to deliver full employment if he is elected.
Whoever prevails in the Labour contest this summer, which is viewed as significant for the party nationally given the two candidates come from different factions, will become the clear favourite to win an election scheduled for May 2024 that would make them the first mayor for a vast area covering Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham. Ms McGuinness has become a favourite among the party leadership in Sir Keir Starmer’s administration, while Mr Driscoll was a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn.
