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Labour MP Heidi Alexander to swap Commons for City Hall | Labour MP Heidi Alexander to swap Commons for City Hall |
(35 minutes later) | |
Labour MP Heidi Alexander is quitting Parliament to work for London Mayor Sadiq Khan. | Labour MP Heidi Alexander is quitting Parliament to work for London Mayor Sadiq Khan. |
The Lewisham East MP will become the new deputy mayor for transport. | The Lewisham East MP will become the new deputy mayor for transport. |
It means there will be a by-election in her South London seat, where Labour won by more than 20,000 votes in last year's general election. | It means there will be a by-election in her South London seat, where Labour won by more than 20,000 votes in last year's general election. |
Announcing the appointment, Mr Khan said Ms Alexander - who replaces retiring Val Shawcross - was "respected across the political divide". | Announcing the appointment, Mr Khan said Ms Alexander - who replaces retiring Val Shawcross - was "respected across the political divide". |
Ms Alexander said she was "really excited" at her appointment, adding: "I know just how important it is we ensure everyone has access to a high-quality and affordable public transport network, with safe cycling routes across the capital." | |
She has been an MP since 2010, and was shadow health secretary between 2015 and 2016, resigning from the front bench with an attack on Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. | She has been an MP since 2010, and was shadow health secretary between 2015 and 2016, resigning from the front bench with an attack on Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. |
She has been a prominent pro-EU voice on the opposition benches and is co-chair of Labour Campaign for the Single Market. | |
Earlier this year she accused Labour of failing to come with a "common and coherent" Brexit position. | |
She is the latest Labour MP to quit for a job outside the Commons. | |
Another former shadow health secretary, Andy Burnham, is now the mayor of Greater Manchester, Tristram Hunt became director of the Victoria and Albert Museum and Jamie Reed left for a job in the nuclear industry. | |
A date has yet to be set for the by-election in Lewisham East. The Conservatives were well adrift in second place last year, with 10,859 votes to Labour's 32,072. The Lib Dems a distant third. |
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