A former Kingshurst councillor has emerged as the frontrunner to become the next West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner.
David Jamieson, who lost his seat in May, is poised to make a rapid return to frontline politics after being chosen as the Labour candidate for the post
The previous commissioner, Bob Jones, died suddenly earlier this month and a by-election will be held on August 21 to fill the £100,000 a year role.
Many were surprised by this week’s news that Mr Jamieson had received his party’s nomination. It was widely assumed that Yvonne Mosquito, who was Mr Jones’ deputy and the current acting PCC, would be put forward.
Mr Jamieson, aged 67, vowed to carry on his predecessor’s good work in the role, which is responsible for holding the region’s police force to account.
While all the major parties are set to contest next month’s election, Mr Jamieson is the firm favourite to win – Bob Jones secured more than double the number of votes of his nearest rival when the West Midlands last went to the polls a little over 18 months ago.
Mr Jamieson is an experienced politician, having first served on Solihull Council in the 1970s. He went on to become MP for Plymouth Devonport and was appointed a junior transport minister in Tony Blair’s government.
He left Westminster in 2005, returning to his hometown and in 2010 started a second spell on Solihull Council. He had been the leader of the borough's Labour group for the past three years, but was one of several members to lose their seat at the local elections – unable to see off a challenge from UKIP.
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