
Reform UK's new mayors take centre stage: Nigel Farage's troops join other regional leaders for talks with Angela Rayner... as Deputy PM warns 'you have to deliver'
Reform UK's newly-elected mayors joined other regional leaders in London today for talks with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
Dame Andrea Jenkyns, the Greater Lincolnshire mayor, and Luke Campbell, the Hull and East Yorkshire mayor, both attended the meeting alongside 12 other mayors.
It was the first time the Reform politicians had attended Ms Rayner's 'mayoral council' since their stunning election victories at the beginning of this month.
Dame Andrea is a former Tory MP and ex-education minister who defected to Reform in November last year.
She secured a return to frontline politics by beating her former party by more than 40,000 votes to win the Greater Lincolnshire mayoralty for Nigel Farage 's outfit.
Hull-born Mr Campbell is a former professional boxer who won gold for Team GB at the 2012 London Olympics.
He was elected Hull and East Yorkshire mayor with a majority of almost 11,000 votes on 1 May.
At today's meeting at Lancaster House, Ms Rayner warned Dame Andrea, Mr Campbell and other regional mayors they had to 'deliver' for local voters in their roles.
Both Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire are newly-created combined authorities.
According to the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government, the Deputy PM told local leaders they must be held to account as they take back control of decision-making.
She urged them to deliver on matters closest to voters' hearts and play their part in the Labour Government's 'Plan for Change'.
Ms Rayner also stressed that, with increased power and resources, there would be increased responsibility and expectations for all mayors to deliver real results.
She said: 'We are ripping up the long-standing 'Whitehall knows best' rhetoric that has for too long stifled growth with a 'one size fits all' approach.
'That's why we are driving forward deeper, strategic devolution, so mayors can make decisions that will actually deliver for their communities.
'Deeper devolution isn't about empty headline-grabbing promises, but doing the hard yards to make meaningful improvements to the day to day lives of working people in line with our Plan for Change.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
British rocket launch backed by Labour falls further behind in space race
A British rocket start-up backed by Labour has pushed back the date of its first launch and is hunting fresh funding as the UK faces falling further behind in the space race. Orbex, which in January received a £20m investment from the taxpayer, confirmed its first test launch from the Shetland Islands would be in 2026, rather than later this year as hoped. The start-up is building its 62ft Orbex Prime rocket at a factory in Scotland, which is intended to carry small satellites into space. After securing taxpayer support, Orbex is now seeking a further £120m in funding from private investors over the next four years to bring its ambitions to reality, it said in a submission to MPs. The company is also pushing for further government backing, calling for support for its bid to build a new, larger rocket for the European Space Agency. The space organisation, of which the UK is a member, is offering companies up to £144m for its European Launcher Challenge as Europe seeks alternatives to its current reliance on Elon Musk's SpaceX. Orbex has been lobbying for Labour's £7bn National Wealth Fund to back the space sector, which it said in a consultation filing to MPs could 'level the playing field and unlock significant value for the UK economy'. The delay to Orbex's mission comes after a series of setbacks for Britain's fledgling launch industry. After a failed launch from Cornwall in 2023, Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit went bankrupt. Since then, no new attempts at an orbital mission have gone ahead. Now, a number of small rocket companies are seeking to launch from UK soil, largely from Saxavord, a spaceport on the Shetland Islands, although they have faced delays. German start-up, Rocket Factory Augsburg, is still targeting a mission this year from Shetland, although its last test ended with its rocket exploding on the launchpad. Skyrora, a Scottish start-up, is hoping to launch from Shetland next year. A spokesman for Orbex said: 'There are many factors at play in determining our launch schedule, including licensing and launch logistics. This is not unusual.' The spokesman added government support would be needed to build a European rocket: 'National funding commitments and private investment will both be needed for winning bidders. 'UK Government support for our sector will send a clear signal to ESA that UK orbital launch companies like Orbex are a smart choice and long-term partner.'


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Palestine Action member says potential ban ‘absurd'
A Palestine Action member has said the governments plans to proscribe the group, effectively branding them a terrorist organisation is "absurd." Saeed Taji Farouky said it "rips apart the very basic concepts of British democracy and the rule of law... something everyone should be terrified about." It is understood the home secretary is preparing a statement to put before Parliament on Monday, after Palestine Action activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and sprayed two planes with red paint. Farouky said Palestine Action's "whole reason for being is to break the material supply chain to genocide" and said Friday's incident was an "escalation in tactics because the genocide has escalated". Israel continues to deny allegations of genocide relating to the ongoing war in Gaza.


The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Keir Starmer backs US strike on Iran's nuclear facilities
The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, has backed the US strike on Iran's nuclear facilities and called on Tehran to return to negotiations. Donald Trump, the US president, announced overnight that the US had bombed three nuclear sites in Iran, joining Israel's attacks. There was no UK involvement in the action. Starmer said on Sunday there was a 'risk of escalation' after the US strikes, including 'beyond the region'. He added: 'It is important that we now de-escalate the situation, stabilise the region and get the parties back around the table to negotiate.'