Labour wins York and North Yorkshire mayoral election

Labour has won the first election for mayor of York and North Yorkshire by almost 15,000 votes.

York businessman David Skaith won with 66,761 votes.

Overall, 191, 279 votes, or just under 30% of the total electorate, were cast in the race to be the region's first mayor.

Conservative candidate Keane Duncan placed second with 51,967 votes with Lib Dem candidate Felicity Cunliffe-Lister in third on 30,867.

Taking the stage at Harrogate's Convention Centre after his victory was announced, Mr Skaith thanked his wife Alice, his two children and staff and supporters.

"We've got a great opportunity to bring York and North Yorkshire together and really grow as one collectively.

"The message is clear from York and North Yorkshire that we want change."

Responding to his defeat, Mr Duncan said: "Inevitably, I'm very disappointed, as you can imagine but we fought a fantastic campaign and reached corners of the county I never knew existed."

Speaking to the BBC after his victory, Mr Skaith said: "I have always been driven by the fact that this is for York and North Yorkshire.

"And it is a bit personal as well.

"I have a business here, I have a young family here, I grew up here."

He added: "I think we do want to see different people in politics, I certainly do.

"I've been completely fed up with the last 14 years of where we've been going.

"People just saying random things and not sticking to any ideas and just putting soundbites out. "

Mr Skaith said: "Coming into this from a different background will be a great positive."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves met with Mr Skaith in Northallerton after his victory.

The Labour leader said: "People are fed up with a failed government, so they've registered that here in the vote that they've cast today."

He added: "It is a historic victory.

"These are places that we would not normally have had a Labour Party success, but we've been able to create that success."

This election result is huge – and can’t be overstated.

Conservative Prime Minister – and North Yorkshire MP – Rishi Sunak is now represented by a Labour mayor.

And to get there, Labour’s David Skaith and his team had to chip away at a Tory majority in North Yorkshire that was, for a long time, baked in to local and national election results.

Not any more.

The signs of this result were first seen in the elections to the new North Yorkshire Council – when the Conservatives nearly lost a majority they had held for a generation.

Then, in July 2023, Labour’s Keir Mather overturned a massive Tory majority in the Selby and Ainsty by-election.

Despite those clues, this is still a huge achievement for Labour.

They pulled it off with a traditional, door-to-door campaign and being careful not to make huge spending commitments.

Contrast that with Conservative Keane Duncan’s high-profile push which came with several big ticket items – including buying and restoring Scarborough’s Grand Hotel.

Some traditional Tories looked at that and just weren’t buying it.

With the national political winds against him, Mr Duncan was faced with an uphill task.

Mr Skaith, 35, was born and raised in Harrogate and studied sport at York St John's University.

After a stint living in Brighton while his then girlfriend, now wife, trained to be a teacher, Mr Skaith returned to Yorkshire and opened the men's clothing store Winstons of York in 2015.

He got involved in politics after his father died during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a tweet Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, said: "He is just the person to lead us across North Yorkshire in delivering the economy, services and future- for our communities.

"I am so looking forward to working with him."

Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves described the Labour win as a "fantastic result".

North Yorkshire was considered by many as a Conservative stronghold with the county containing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's constituency of Richmond.

A Labour Party spokesman said the result was "truly historic", adding: "Keir Starmer's Labour Party is now winning in Rishi Sunak's backyard.

"The prime minister's own constituents have taken a look at the two parties and chosen Labour."

Mr Duncan, 29, led a social media campaign where he drove a van to different corners of the county, promising to buy the Grand Hotel in Scarborough and pay for free parking in the region's towns.

Mr Duncan said the Grand had gone from being one of the "largest and most luxurious hotels in Europe" to the "shame of Scarborough".

He also said he would consider becoming the first Conservative mayor to franchise bus services if he was elected.

A former journalist at the Daily Star, Mr Duncan led Ryedale District Council between 2019 and 2021 before becoming executive member for transport at North Yorkshire Council in 2022.

Mr Skaith will start in his new role on Tuesday 7 May and will serve a four-year term, with a salary of £81,300.

His role includes developing close links with the government to secure more funding and decision-making powers as the devolution deal evolves.

The deal includes an investment fund totalling £540m over a 30-year term.

The mayor will continue work that is already under way on projects including £12.7m to deliver 700 new homes on brownfield sites and a further £10m to support the transition to net zero.

Mr Skaith will also take on the responsibilities of the police, fire and crime commissioner for York and North Yorkshire, unless he appoints a deputy to take on that role.