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Birmingham MP to quit seat in bid to become first mayor

Jamie Carpenter, Regen.net, 3 February 2010

A Birmingham MP is to give up his seat at the next election to bid to become the city's first elected mayor, according to reports.

Birmingham Erdington MP Sion Simon, a junior culture minister, told the BBC he will quit the safe Labour seat to lobby for the city to adopt the elected mayor system.

He told the BBC: "I'm certainly committed to putting myself forward and becoming the Labour candidate.

"The current electoral system is aimed at running the country, and not specifically aimed at what’s best for Birmingham. What we have is out of date 19th century municipal structures."

Last year, Greater Birmingham lost out to Greater Leeds and Greater Manchester in the race to become one of England's first statutory city-regions.

Following the failure of Greater Birmingham's bid for pilot status, Coventry pulled out of the city-region altogether.

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