Business leader Digby Jones fires first shots in battle to become 'Great Birmingham' mayor

Lord Jones slams MEP who is favourite to become Labour’s choice for the new roll


Digby Jones, left, and Sion Simon, right, are potential candidates for West Midlands mayor

The battle is heating up to be the first ever West Midlands Mayor.

While MEP Sion Simon is seen as the favourite to become the Labour’s choice, Digby Jones, the West Midlands business leader and former head of the CBI, has said he could stand as an independent candidate.

And Lord Jones has slammed Mr Simon as the wrong man for the job.

He said electing Mr Simon as mayor "would be the worst thing the West Midlands has ever done".

The first ever election for a West Midlands or 'Greater Birmingham' mayor takes place in May 2017 but attention is already focusing on who will take part.

Nominations for people hoping to become Labour’s candidate open later this month.

Party members will chose a candidate in a ballot over the summer, with the winner going on to take part in the election next year.

Mr Simon, a West Midlands Labour MEP who was previously MP for Birmingham Erdington, is expected to put himself forward but has not yet confirmed his intention to stand.

Many other Labour politicians who previously expressed an interest in becoming the party’s candidate appear to have withdrawn from the race. They include Dudley North MP Ian Austin and Birmingham Hodge Hill MP Liam Byrne.

Gisela Stuart, the Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, has confirmed she will not take part in the contest.

Darren Cooper, the popular former leader of Sandwell Council, was seen as a contender before his untimely death in March.

There is opposition to Mr Simon’s candidacy in parts of the West Midlands Labour Party, with critics saying he does not have the experience or gravitas needed for the job.

There are also claims that he’s used his position as an MEP, which gives him access to the party’s membership list, to promote himself by sending out emails and leaflets to party members.

Mr Simon would argue that he’s simply telling people what he’s doing as a West Midlands MEP, as he should. And while he’s accountable to the public as a whole, it’s also right for a Labour politician to keep party members informed.

He lists endorsements from councillors and MPs from across the region on his website. Those named include Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is pictured posing with Mr Simon and holding a sheet of paper with the word “#TeamSion” on it.

Digby Jones accused Mr Simon of “hating” business and being an ally of Jeremy Corbyn, Labour’s left-wing leader.

Lord Jones, who joined the House of Lords in 2007, said: “Whether I stand is at this moment absolutely up on the air. I really don’t know.”

He added: “I would only stand if it was as an independent.”