Labour selects mayoral candidate for May election

Liam Byrne has been named as the Labour candidate for the forthcoming West Midland mayoral elections.

Byrne, who served under Tony Blair in government saw off left wing rivals Pete Lowe, a Dudley councillor, and Salma Yaqoob to fight it out with Andy Street later this year.

In a statement, the Labour Party said: “”Liam Byrne has been selected by members in the West Midlands as our candidate for metro mayor.

“We look forward to campaigning with Liam and his team to deliver a Labour victory on May 7th.”

Byrne said: “We don’t have time to waste. Our region simply cannot afford a Tory Mayor who fails to deliver. And that’s what we have today.”

Lowe said: “I’d like to congratulate Liam Byrne on becoming Labour’s candidate for the Mayor of the West Midlands, I am looking forward to working with him in the coming weeks and months to help deliver a Labour win in May right across our region.”