Blues boss would stand for mayor

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Birmingham City's managing director Karren Brady has said she would stand for office if the city decided to have a directly-elected mayor.

The 38-year-old said the city needed a mayor who was "dynamic, positive and prepared to lead".

"It would be an honour to serve...and no-one would have a moment's peace," she said.

Birmingham City Council has been opposed to holding a referendum over having a directly-elected mayor.

Ms Brady said she would stand because someone needed to "wake Birmingham up to the challenge it faces".

'Entitled to opinion'

"We need a mayor to shout for us because no-one else is going to," she explained.

She said the city had been incapable of attracting the grants and awards other big cities had attracted.

A council spokeswoman said Ms Brady was entitled to her opinion.

"If there's support for a referendum, then there's a mechanism to allow this to happen," she said.

"A petition of more than 36,000 people gathered within a year would trigger one."