Mayors optimistic after PM meeting
REGIONAL mayors have hailed the potential for a “step change” in their relationship with the Government after Sir Keir Starmer said he would strive to build a “real partnership” with the English leaders.
The Prime Minister and his deputy Angela Rayner held a meeting with 11 regional leaders, including Labour’s London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, and the only Conservative mayor, Tees Valley’s Lord Ben Houchen.
At Tuesday morning’s meeting, the regional mayors were told the new Government wanted to build on their local growth plans and to explore further devolved powers.
Sir Keir told the regional leaders: “I know many of you already have growth plans in place – some of you have shared them and that is fantastic.
“What we want to do is build on that with a real partnership where you feel that the Government is up alongside you, supporting what you’re doing.”
The Prime Minister added: “I think it’s the first meeting like this in Downing Street.
“I don’t think all the metro mayors have come together in Downing Street like this – so this is a first and that’s good.”
Voters in some large cities in England elect mayors with regional responsibilities for transport, housing, and in some cases policing.
The Downing Street meeting was attended in person by 11 mayors from England,
with Mayor of South Yorkshire Oliver Coppard absent because he was ill with Covid. Labour Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said the meeting “marked a welcome step change in the relationship between mayors and Government”.
She added: “We had a productive discussion about how we will grow our economies and put money back into people’s pockets, build new homes and improve local transport.”
Mr Burnham meanwhile told the BBC the Government’s plans for a “council for regions and nations” was “music to my ears”.
“People may remember some interactions I had with previous governments. It was always struggling to get heard and struggling to get our perspective in the North understood in Whitehall,” he added.
Mr Khan told the PA news agency Sir Keir discussed “other parts of the country where there could be mayors”.
He also insisted having a mayor could be a “real game changer”.
SIR Lindsay Hoyle has been re-elected as Commons Speaker, telling MPS he would continue to be “fair, impartial and independent”.
The Chorley MP was returned to the post unopposed at the start of the new Parliament.
He has served as
Speaker since November 2019 when he replaced John Bercow shortly before the 2019 general election.
The Speaker election marks the first day of the new Parliament, which welcomes 335 new MPS to the chamber.