Steve Rotheram wins Liverpool City Region nomination

The close ally of Jeremy Corbyn beat current elected Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson and former frontbencher Luciana Berger to be selected to fight the election next year.

The Liverpool City Region covers the whole of Merseyside, including St Helens.

Mr Rotheram, a parliamentary aide to the Labour leader, said he was “deeply honoured and humbled” to be picked and pledged to “stand up for ordinary people”.

“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,” he 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.

“As metro mayor, 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.”