Candidates throw their hat in the ring to become North East Mayor | News

One of the country’s most influential union bosses has thrown his weight behind Jamie Driscoll’s bid to become North East mayor.

The general secretary of the RMT, Mick Lynch, was in Sunderland at the launch of Mr Driscoll’s campaign to be selected as the Labour candidate for the mayoral election next May.

Mr Lynch, who shot to fame following a series of media appearances throughout his union’s ongoing industrial dispute, was among several key union figures to back the current North of Tyne Mayor.

Speaking at the launch, Mr Lynch said the staunch socialist was best placed to deliver for the region – and backed his ambitious transport plans.

He said: “I’m delighted to be here, because this movement that we’re in is about solidarity and standing up for people that are struggling. We have got to stand together so our values are delivered. We have got to run the best campaign we can to get what we believe in delivered.

“Being isolated in your community, not being able to afford transport or having services cut, is a real class issue – because the rich will be alright. Our people need a reliable, safe and affordable system. They need Jamie’s policies to come through.

“We need somebody that can cut through all the nonsense of whatever Government is in. The RMT is completely behind Jamie’s campaign and we will do what we can to influence our people in the North East.

“You have got the opportunity of a lifetime – let’s hear the roar from the North East. I urge everyone to get behind our campaign. Let’s change this region and our country.”

Mr Driscoll’s plans for transport include creating a single ticketing system for the Tyne and Wear Metro, heavy rail and bus services, as well as improving bus access in rural areas. Mr Driscoll also said he would provide free transport for under-18s.

Mr Driscoll himself took to the floor, defending his record and outlining some of his policy aims. He pledged to create “full employment” and a “green new deal”, claiming he has already created 5,049 jobs in his current role as North of Tyne mayor.

However, figures from late 2022 showed that the number actually delivered so far was just over 1,000 – with the remainder being in the pipeline.

Asked why he felt he was a better candidate than his Labour opponent, police and crime commissioner Kim McGuinness, he said: “There will be lots of candidates from lots of parties – but there is only one person who has been mayor, has delivered the jobs, and has a plan to get us that total transport system, full employment and a green new deal.

“Every election is won on economic competence, and I’m quite happy to stand on my track record.”

With an election due in 2024, Mr Driscoll was also asked how he would deal with future prime ministers of either party. He pointed out that when he was elected mayor, Theresa May was Prime Minister, followed by Boris Johnson (“Remember him?” quipped Mr Driscoll) and the “seven week acid trip that was Liz Truss”.

He continued: “Now we have got Rishi, swanning around on his private jet. I’ve gotten money out of the Government, we’ve got the best funded devolution deal in the entire country. Others have £38 million, we’re getting £48 million.

“My ability to work with a Tory Government is going to be so much easier under a Labour Government.”

Mr Driscoll also confirmed he had yet to select a deputy mayor, adding that this role along with the rest of the cabinet would be decided once the mayoral election is completed next May.

Also supporting Mr Driscoll alongside Mick Lynch was Suzanne Reid, the regional organiser for Unite the Union and Joanne Shaftoe of the Communication and Workers Union, as well as Sunderland City Council leader Coun Graeme Miller.

The battle for the Labour nomination between Mr Driscoll and Ms McGuinness will pit the two opposing wings of the party against one another, with Mr Driscoll – who has been described as the “last Corbynista in power” – going up against a close ally of Keir Starmer in the police and crime commissioner.

Coun Miller made reference to this, and commented: “This is going to be us against the machine. it is going to be hard yards.

“We’re going to have to ensure that we contact everybody we can and get them to vote for a principled human being who has the best of us at heart. We have got as good a chance as anybody.”

The devolution deal, which Michael Gove came to Gateshead to sign in January, includes a £48m-per-year investment fund that has been hailed as the most generous in England. However, it has been criticised by some, including Lib Dem and independent councillors in Northumberland, as “undemocratic” and “dishonest”.

Meanwhile….

EMBARGO to 0600 Monday May 22

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.

Ahead of her campaign launch in South Tyneside on Monday morning, the PCC said her plans as mayor would include revitalising struggling high streets, expanding and improving safety on the Tyne and Wear Metro, and boosting employment along the North East’s rivers and ports.

Ms McGuinness said: ​“I’m standing because I’m proud of this region and I’m fed up of seeing us stuck behind Manchester or Leeds, let alone London.”

She added: “I’ll make fighting child poverty the thread that runs through my office, and introduce a Mayor’s Child Care grant and subsidised public transport to help families move out of in-work poverty and keep more of their earnings.

“And even as I work with our councils and business to create thousands of jobs along our rivers and ports, and develop our region’s status as a global centre for offshore engineering and green energy, I’ll also work with our unions to ensure the jobs available in our region are well-paid and secure.

“Our devolution story to date simply has not reached its potential and I want to change that, to ensure all parts of the North East feel the benefits.”

Both Labour candidates have pledged to bring the North East’s bus network under public control and reopen disused railway lines.

In a speech to be delivered at energy firm Equinor’s base in South Shields, Ms McGuinness will promise to boost the region’s reputation in the offshore wind farm and green hydrogen sectors.

Further pledges in her 12-point plan include opening careers hubs in towns and villages, backing plans to build a new bypass in Bowburn in Durham and growing tourism.

Mr Driscoll began his campaign on Friday with an event in Sunderland, where he was endorsed by RMT union leader Mick Lynch.

As well as his promise of full employment, he has pledged to create a “total transport network” and make public transport free for under-18s.

He said: “It’s tough for people in the North East right now. It’s been tough for decades. But I’m determined to write a positive new story for our beautiful part of the world. As North of Tyne mayor, I have set the scene for what is possible – give me your backing and together we can build a zero carbon, zero poverty North East that we can all be proud of.”

The new mayoral job is part of a £4bn devolution deal for the North East, which will reunite previously warring councils across the region.

The result of a public consultation on the plans were published on Friday, showing a majority of people support the idea.

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