Hull and East Yorkshire elect Reform candidate as Mayor
Luke Campbell won by a comfortable margin with 48,491 votes, beating Liberal Democrat runner-up Mike Ross by 10,981.
The 37 year old former boxer and Olympic gold medallist will serve as the region’s inaugural Mayor for a four-year term.
Ross won 37,510 votes (27.7%) and Anne Handley, the Conservative nominee came third with 21,393 votes, equating to 15.8%.
Campbell’s appointment may come as something of a surprise, given that Handley has been leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council since 2023 and Ross has led Hull City Council since 2022 and both were signatories in the devolution deal in November 2023.
Labour’s Margaret Pinder came in fourth with 18,568 votes (13.7%), followed by the Green Party’s Kerry Harrison with 3.7% and Yorkshire Party’s Rowan Halstead with 3.2%.
Campbell is now responsible for an inward investment fund worth £400m over the next three decades.
Speaking after his election, Campbell said: “I’m not politically experienced but I think that is one of my strengths. I will work my socks off and put my heart into this role.
“I have no interest in being an MP or working my way through the party, I’m here to represent the people.
“I understand I won’t please everybody, but if I can have an impact and make a difference to our community that’s all I want to do…
“I will be going to London to demand more for our region – £13.3m [of funding] is nothing and won’t go anywhere.”
Interim chief executive and head of paid service at HEYCA, Mark Rogers, said: “The election of the first Mayor means that the Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority is now fully established.
“Our team will support the mayor during this exciting time as we work to grow the fortunes of this region and the people who live and work here.
“The mayor has responsibilities for transport, housing and skills, and will also be that visible figure banging at Westminster’s door and shouting about this part of the world.
“We’ve been hard at work preparing for the Mayor’s appointment, and will be doing everything we can to enable him to hit the ground running and champion the area nationally and internationally.”
