Mayor candidate unveiled in tough Cambridgeshire and Peterborough race

Labour’s mayoral candidate for one of the most competitive races of the 2025 local elections has been revealed.

Anna Smith, who is currently deputy mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, will contest the election for Labour after incumbent Mayor Nik Johnson announced he would not seek re-election.

Johnson narrowly defeated then Conservative Mayor James Palmer in 2021, making him the first Labour figure to lead Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Are you a Labour member in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough? We want to hear what you make of the race, and what you’re hearing on the door step – email at [email protected]

The outgoing mayor said he was “delighted” by Smith’s selection and said he is “well qualified” for the role having served as acting mayor during Johnson’s absence for medical treatment. “The combined authority would be in safe hands,” he said.

However, all signs point towards this being a challenging election for Labour, as Johnson only won just under a third of the vote in the first round last time.

One Labour source told LabourList the election would be tough, noting the close result last time, the large rural population and communities concerned about Gaza. However, they added that Smith is a “brilliant and popular” candidate for the mayoralty.

Other mayoral areas up for election this may include the West of England and the newly created Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire authorities.

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