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Liverpool City Region: Labour mayoral candidate to be announced Liverpool City Region: Steve Rotheram named as Labour's mayoral candidate
(about 11 hours later)
Labour is set to announce its candidate for next year's metro mayor election in the Liverpool City Region. Steve Rotheram will be Labour's candidate in next year's Liverpool City Region mayoral election.
Local MPs Luciana Berger and Steve Rotheram, along with the city's mayor Joe Anderson, have been competing for selection by local party members before voting closed on Friday. The Liverpool Walton MP beat the city's elected mayor Joe Anderson and fellow Merseyside MP Luciana Berger in a vote of Labour members in the region.
The region covers Liverpool, St Helens, Knowsley, Sefton, Wirral and the Cheshire borough of Halton. Mr Rotheram is a parliamentary aide to Jeremy Corbyn and a close ally of the Labour leader.
The metro mayor will be chosen by the areas' electorates on 4 May. His friend and fellow MP Andy Burnham won the Manchester mayoral nomination for Labour on Tuesday.
In November, the six councils agreed the devolution deal, which will lead to the city region gaining direct control of an annual investment of £30m for the next three decades. The Liverpool City Region comprises the city and St Helens, Knowsley, Sefton, Wirral and Halton in Cheshire.
Who are the mayoral hopefuls? More reaction from Merseyside to the Labour mayoral selection
More powers on policies, currently administered in London, will be transferred including economic development, transport, employment and planning. Mr Rotheram, a former Lord Mayor of Liverpool, said: "I am extremely grateful to the thousands of party members who have chosen to place their trust in me and I am determined not to let them down."
Other parties are yet to announce their candidates. Analysis by Political Correspondent Carole Walker
On Tuesday, Liverpool-born Andy Burnham and Sion Simon were named the Labour candidates for the first mayoral elections in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands respectively. Steve Rotheram's victory in Liverpool further strengthens Jeremy Corbyn's grip on the Labour party.
He's a parliamentary aide to the Labour leader who was one of the first to congratulate him.
Jon Lansman, of the grassroots Momentum campaign which supports Mr Corbyn, said the result was a victory for democracy.
Mr Rotheram won almost 60% of the vote in the second round to secure Labour's nomination.
Given Labour's grip on local politics, he's almost certain to become the first elected mayor of the Liverpool City Region, giving Mr Corbyn an important ally in a powerful devolved role.
The new mayor will oversee transport, planning, post-16 education and wield a £900m investment fund.
Mr Rotheram does also have impeccable credentials to lead a city fiercely proud of its own identity. Born in Knowsley, educated locally and a former city councillor, his local popularity helped him to turn his Liverpool Walton seat into the safest seat in the country at the last election.
He is also a die-hard Liverpool FC fan.
Mr Rotheram has said that as metro mayor he would put social justice at the heart of his administration and stand up for ordinary people.
The 54-year-old, a prominent Hillsborough campaigner, said: "I have travelled the length and breadth of our city region and have spoken with people in every borough, from all walks of life, who share the same ambition as me - to build a city region that utilises the energy, the talents, the ideas and the hopes of all our people, to transform the present and begin to shape its future, creating a more vibrant, more prosperous area.
"I will put social justice at the heart of my administration; something which I've been passionate about all of my political career. I'll stand up for ordinary people and be a real champion for Merseyside and Halton on the national and international stage.
"Devolution presents us with a unique opportunity to make decisions locally, in the interests of local people, to ensure each person within our six districts has the best chance in life."
Mr Rotheram said he was not sure what role his support for Mr Corbyn played in his victory.
The Labour leader praised his victory, saying: "Congratulations to Steve Rotheram on being selected as Labour's candidate to take our message for social justice to the people of Merseyside..
"Steve is a tireless campaigner and advocate for the region, and as mayor would do everything possible to minimise the impact of Tory austerity."
Mr Anderson, who offered his "sincere congratulations" to Mr Rotheram, said he was "heartbroken" at the result.
He added: "I want to thank the Labour Party members who continue to pour their energy, time and passion into supporting myself, the Liverpool Labour Party and the greatest city region in the world."
His post as Liverpool's directly-elected mayor is unaffected by the new city region mayor system.
In theory councillors on Liverpool City Council can decide again from 2017 if they want to continue this style of government for the city.
Any decision to change a council's executive can only take place five years after a decision was made to go for an elected mayor.
The other parties have yet to decide their candidates for the election, to be held on 4 May 2017.
Turnout for the Labour poll was 72%.
Ms Berger dropped out after the first round of voting, which saw Mr Rotheram win 2,029 votes, Mr Anderson 1,641 and Ms Berger 1,202.
In the second round Mr Rotheram picked up 2,670 votes to Mr Anderson's 2,042 after the votes had been re-allocated.
The former bricklayer, who was elected to the Commons in 2010 after serving eight years as a Liverpool city councillor, pledged to work for a North West Powerhouse with Mr Burnham.
Mr Rotheram has been a prominent Hillsborough campaigner.
He attended the 1989 FA Cup semi-final in Sheffield and exchanged a ticket for the Leppings Lane terraces, where fans perished, for a seat in the stand 15 minutes before kick off.