Labour’s civil war over MP’s bid to be mayor

Members hit out at party bosses in selection row

A CIVIL war has broken out between Yorkshire Labour MPs and Jeremy Corbyn-backed party bosses over Dan Jarvis’s bid to become the county’s first directly elected mayor. In a letter obtained by The Yorkshire Post, the region’s group of 36 Labour MPs described as “undemocratic” and “an insult” an attempt by the party’s left-leaning ruling NEC to force Mr Jarvis to choose between the Sheffield City Region mayoralty and continuing as Barnsley Central MP.

The MPs, Mr Jarvis and South Yorkshire’s four local council leaders have all written to party chiefs to oppose the decision.

Members voted last week to nominate the former soldier as Labour’s candidate for the mayoral election on May 3, which he is widely expected to win. Mr Jarvis has always said he wanted to combine the two jobs while sacrificing his mayoral salary as he will initially have “no power and no resources” and wants to maintain influence in Westminster to get a good deal for the area and push for a Yorkshirewide devolution agreement.

The critical letter was agreed by MPs who attended a Yorkshire and Humber Labour group meeting on Tuesday and passed to all 36 members via WhatsApp and email with “no dissent”, even from Corbyn allies such as Richard Burgon and Jon Trickett, chairman Kevin Barron said.

The correspondence raised the prospect of the NEC stripping Mr Jarvis of Labour’s nomination and appointing another candidate, in which case the MP would quit the race out of party loyalty.

South Yorkshire’s four council leaders said they are “gravely concerned”. Rotherham’s Chris Read, said the mayoral job would initially be a “relatively small time commitment”.

A decision may not come before next week, when Jennie Formby formally takes over as Labour general secretary.

AT A time when his leadership is mired in scandal over anti-semitism, Jeremy Corbyn – and Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee – will be picking an unnecessary fight if they try to stop Barnsley Central MP Dan Jarvis’s candidacy in the Sheffield City Region mayoral election.

The reason is this: Mr Jarvis made it plain at the outset of his campaign that it was his intention to combine the two roles and that he would, if elected, forfeit his mayoral salary. Labour activists were acutely aware of this pledge when they selected the former soldier last week.

And, while it should be ultimately up to the voters of South Yorkshire to determine the viability of the leadership approach set out by Mr Jarvis who, significantly, has the backing of this region’s 36 Labour MPs, Mr Corbyn and his acolytes need to understand the background to the May 3 poll.

Unlike other city-regions, the devolved powers being afforded to Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster are minimal, not least because it has proved so difficult to reach any kind of consensus. The mayor will not have the level of responsibility and autonomy enjoyed, for example, by Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester.

Furthermore, Mr Jarvis has stressed that he intends, if endorsed by the public, to use his status as mayor, and Parliamentarian, to press for a Yorkshire-wide devolution deal that, if agreed, will render the post redundant by 2020. As such, it would be unfair, undemocratic and an insult to party members if Mr Corbyn and his NEC rewrite the rules at this late date to preclude MPs from also being mayors. Such heavyhandedness might prompt many to conclude that they’re fearful of Mr Jarvis, and jealous of the esteem in which he appears to be held by all parties.