Marvin Rees has been selected by Labour members to be the party’s candidate for next year’s Bristol Mayor election. Rees defeated Cllr Mark Bradshaw to win the selection and take on independent Mayor George Ferguson. His selection will be seen as another victory for Labour’s left wing.

Rees was Labour’s candidate in 2012, when he lost out to Ferguson by 6,000 votes. He works in public health, specifically in mental health areas.

Upon the announcement of today’s result, Rees said:

“I am thrilled to be selected by my friends and peers in the Labour Party as their candidate to be Bristol Mayor, and I would like to thank Mark for a great campaign.

I am passionate about standing up and fighting for the people of Bristol and the things I know we need for this city to thrive. We need to do a different style of politics and to put people’s needs first and foremost in everything we do.”