METRO Mayor Dan Norris is Labour’s general election candidate for the new North East Somerset and Hanham seat.
Mr Norris, who was MP for the area between 1997 and 2010, was selected by party members on May 10.
Less than two weeks later, his battle with the Conservative Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg began in earnest when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the election would be on July 4.
Pundits say the contest will be one of the closest and most fascinating of the campaign. Three other contenders had been announced as the Voice went to print: Edmund Cannon, Green Party; Dine Romero, Lib Dem; Paul McDonnell, Reform.
Mr Norris was chosen by party members ahead of James Coldwell and Becky Montacute He has lived locally all his life. Before his stint in Parliament he was an NSPCC trained child protection officer.
He said: “I am delighted and proud to have been selected as the Labour candidate. This is my home and I’m passionate about making it the best it can be.
“North East Somerset and Hanham is a highly marginal seat and it’s one where only Labour can beat the Conservatives.”
In an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Norris said if he became the MP there would be a period of overlap with his Metro Mayor role, to which he was elected in 2021.
He said: “There’s 1,001 reasons and 70,000 people in the new constituency I want to help.”
Of Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, who unseated him 14 years ago?
“I know him and we get on fine,” said Mr Norris. He added: “He’s my constituent and I am his.”
But he said he disagreed with the things the North East Somerset MP said. Mr Norris said: “I think he takes a keen interest in his constituency. […] It’s not that that concerns me, it’s the Tory record and he has been defending that.We have to get Britain’s future back.”
In a video on X, the day after the poll was announced, Sir Jacob said: “I am asking for your vote to support a Party that believes in supporting the freedom of the individual, in low taxation, in controlling our borders, and in ensuring that there is opportunity for all.”
Voters can expect a torrent of campaign literature over the six weeks. Mr Norris is well known for including photos of his dog Angel on his leaflets. Some recent Rees-Mogg material show pictures of him with his daughter’s dog Daisy.