John Healey won’t be standing for Mayor of Sheffield

After rumours elsewhere this morning that John Healey may be standing to be Sheffield Mayor, we spoke to the former Housing Minister this morning. Healey denied that he was standing for Mayor, and seemed to think a mayoral election in Sheffield was unlikely, saying:

“Sheffield won’t want a mayor and it’s the last thing I’d want.”

Update: Speaking to his local paper the Sheffield Star today, David Blunkett has also ruled himself out of the running:

“I am ruling myself out of standing. I have come to the conclusion that in life you shouldn’t go backwards.”

The Star suggests that the leading Labour candidates at the moment are council leader Julie Dore and ex-MP Richard Caborn – we’ll be profiling potential candidates if the referendum gets a yes vote in May.