Former Coronation Street actress turned Labour MP Tracy Brabin has been elected as the first West Yorkshire mayor. She won the contest on her 60th birthday, receiving 310,923 votes, beating Conservative candidate Matt Robinson by 101,786 votes.
Ms Brabin will now stand down as Batley and Spen MP, a role she held since a 2016 by-election following the murder of Jo Cox. She described her victory as a 'historic day', becoming the first female metro mayor in England.
In her acceptance speech, she said: 'It is an honour that I just can’t put into words to be standing in front of you today as the first ever metro mayor of our wonderful, dynamic, creative and diverse West Yorkshire region.'
Ms Brabin, who grew up on free school meals in a Birstall council flat, joined Coronation Street in 1994 as Tricia Armstrong. After leaving the soap in 1997, she appeared in EastEnders, Casualty, Emmerdale, Holby City and Doctors.
She added: 'I hope, in some small way, my election will say to working class kids across our region, it doesn’t matter where you live, what your parents do for a living, how much money you have in the bank or where you went to school, you can reach the very top.'
