Voting for Labour mayoral candidate to begin next week
Voting to choose the Labour candidate to take on West Midlands Mayor Andy Street at this year's election will begin next week.
Former Dudley Council leader Pete Lowe, shadow frontbencher Liam Byrne and ex-Respect Party MP Salma Yaqoob are all hoping to become Labour's candidate for the mayoral election in May.
The ballot will open to Labour members on Wednesday and voting will close on February 5 before the winner is declared 24 hours later.
Former John Lewis boss Mr Street was elected as the region's first mayor in 2017 and will be hoping he can do enough to convince voters he should remain in the role.
Birmingham MP Mr Byrne is the most high-profile of the Labour candidates, having served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in Gordon Brown's government. He famously left a note to the incoming Coalition Government in 2010 warning there was "no money".
However, Mr Lowe has a strong support base in Dudley, having been a councillor since 2006 and served as leader of the authority on two occasions. He has made three unsuccessful attempts to be elected as MP for Stourbridge.
Hard-left activist Ms Yaqoob will be hoping the support she has from Momentum will win her votes from the membership.
