Shadow mental health minister Luciana Berger targets Liverpool mayoralty
Labour's shadow mental health minister is to confirm plans to run for mayor of the Liverpool city region, becoming the second member of the party's shadow cabinet to announce plans for local government.
Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham announced that he would enter the race for the Greater Manchester mayoralty in mid-May, and this afternoon Luciana Berger will reveal that she will follow suit, campaiging to be Labour’s candidate for the newly created role of mayor for the metropolitan region, which expands the existing position of Liverpool mayor.
Both come less than a month after former Labour front-bencher Sadiq Khan was elected as London Mayor earlier this month.
London-born Berger, MP for Liverpool Wavertree since 2010, is expected to run for Labour's nomination alongside present mayor Joe Anderson and Liverpool Walton MP Steve Rotherham.
Local Labour members will vote for their preferred candidate this year with ballots open between July and August, ahead of elections next May.
The new mayor will oversee public services, making decisions in economic development, transport, employment and planning.
Berger was first elected in the Labour safe seat with a majority of 7,000, following strong performance by the Lib Dems.
However, in 2015, she dramatically increased her vote share, giving her a majority of more than 24,000, and taking 69 per cent of the vote.