Kim McGuinness elected first North East Mayor
The picture provided is courtesy of North News and Pictures
The initial North Eastern Mayor is Kim McGuinness.
Kim McGuinness from Labour has won Thursday's election and made history as the first Mayor in the North East region.
There were a total of five other competitors challenging for the position of Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, who ultimately won the race.
The opponents of the current mayor of North of Tyne, Jamie Driscoll, included Guy Renner-Thompson from the Conservative party.
Ms. McGuinness is going to be the representative of a large population of two million individuals located in areas such as Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham.
She garnered 41.3% of the vote, while Mr. Driscoll earned runner-up with 28.2% and Mr. Renner-Thompson secured third place with 11.7%.
Only 31% of the people showed up.
According to Ms. McGuinness, who used to serve as a councillor in Newcastle, the election is a significant event for the North East. It is the initial phase towards gaining power over its own future.
She promised to transform the area into a place where opportunities abound, with fresh employment options, eco-friendly industries, and a significant modification of the transportation system that involves taking back privately-owned bus companies and returning them to the government’s management.
Party in 2019. He successfully won the election and became the first North of Tyne Mayor. Prior to his mayoral position, he was also a councillor in Newcastle upon Tyne. With his success in politics, he is known for advocating green and sustainable policies in the region.
The main opponent of Ms. McGuinness competing for the recently established mayor post was Mr. Driscoll, who is currently serving as the North of Tyne Mayor.
He was chosen as a representative for the Labour party but stepped down from his position last year after a disagreement with the party. He completed his remaining time as a solo politician.
According to reports, he was excluded from Labour's list of potential candidates for the North East Mayor position because of his association with filmmaker Ken Loach.
In 2021, Mr. Loach got removed from Labour due to what he referred to as a "cleansing" of Jeremy Corbyn supporters. The party did not give reasons for his expulsion.
Following his resignation, Mr. Driscoll commented that the current culture within the Labour Party seems to revolve around joining a particular small group.
"It is failing to benefit individuals adequately. It is also not benefiting the political realm."
"Insight On North East & Cumbria Politics By BBC's Luke Walton"
The competition was between the color red and the political party Labour, and at a point, it seemed like Labour might feel humiliated.
However, the possibility that Jamie Driscoll, an independent candidate, could defeat the candidate from his previous political party in the mayoral election for the North East region turned out to be incorrect.
Kim McGuinness came out as the clear winner, having secured a comfortable lead in the elections for the position of Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner.
When Mr. Driscoll, a past mayor for Labour North of Tyne, was not included in the party's North East shortlist, it caused numerous people to feel sorry for him and become uneasy. A lot of individuals thought he was penalized for holding leftist views within the party.
The candidate for mayor started a campaign where people could donate money to support him. When he went out to talk to voters in their homes, he told them that he wasn't controlled by the leaders of any political party in London. Some people liked this idea.
However, come Friday, it was the followers of the Labour party who were clapping and shouting in joy, while Mr. Driscoll seemed to be disheartened.
Nonetheless, he emphasized the feat of acquiring over 120,000 votes without the aid of a political organization, and hinted at the possibility of running for mayor once again in the next four years.
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