Election results 2021: Tracy Brabin elected West Yorkshire mayor

Labour's Tracy Brabin has been elected as the first mayor of West Yorkshire.

She won 60.1% of the popular vote, after a run-off with the Conservative candidate when she failed to secure a majority in the first round of voting.

The MP for Batley & Spen, who is 60 today, becomes the first woman to be elected as a metro mayor.

She will have to resign her Westminster seat, triggering a by-election. At the 2019 General Election she had a majority of 3,525.

Ms Brabin, a former actor and television writer, entered the House of Commons in 2016 after being elected to replace murdered MP Jo Cox.

She served in the shadow cabinet under both Jeremy Corbyn and Sir Keir Starmer, but resigned her frontbench position in December 2020 to concentrate on her campaign for the mayoralty.

The newly-elected mayor said: "It is an honour I cannot put into words."

She went on to speak of growing up in a council flat in Birstall, in the constituency she would eventually represent, and said she hoped her election would send a message to other working class children.

"It doesn't matter where you live, what your parents do for a living, how much money you have in the bank or where you went to school. You can reach the very top."

Ms Brabin also referred to her strong conviction Labour has the "right answers for our towns and cities and villages".

"The election results have shown how hard we should work to prove that, and I won't ever take your support for granted," she said.

What a way to celebrate your birthday.

Tracy Brabin's facemask at the count today was a map of West Yorkshire and she is now in charge of quite a few things that will affect the lives of more than two million people living there.

Labour will no doubt be pleased that they've won, but they may be slightly disappointed not to get over the 50% line on the first preferences.

But in the end the Conservatives were 100,000 votes behind after the second preferences

The big job starts now.

As West Yorkshire's mayor, Ms Brabin will oversee policies such as transport and housing, working with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

A devolution deal for West Yorkshire was agreed with the government in March 2020 and includes additional yearly funding of £38m for 30 years.

The mayor will also take over the responsibilities of the police and crime commissioner.

Ms Brabin said: "Devolution is our opportunity to make West Yorkshire an even better place to live, work, study, raise a family, start a business and grow old."

The election had been intended to be held in 2020, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic which means Ms Brabin's term in office will last three, rather than four years.

In the first round, Ms Brabin received 43% of votes, with the Conservatives on 29%. The Conservatives polled almost 40% in the second round.

The Yorkshire Party came in third place in the first round polling almost 59,000 first choice votes.

Its candidate Bob Buxton said their success, coming ahead of more established parties, sent a strong message to Westminster.

"We are ahead of the Greens, ahead of the Liberals, it's a very strong vote. People are saying they want real power, real devolution and a fair share of funding."

The Greens, The Liberal Democrats, Reform and the English Democrats were in fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh place respectively.

Almost 1.7 million people were eligible to vote, turnout was about 36%.

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