Tracy Brabin

Tracy Brabin
Official portrait, 2020
Mayor of West Yorkshire
Assumed office
10 May 2021
Preceded byOffice established
Member of Parliament
for Batley and Spen
In office
20 October 2016 – 10 May 2021
Preceded byJo Cox
Succeeded byKim Leadbeater
Shadow portfolios
Shadow Secretary of State
2020Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Shadow Minister
2020Cultural Industries
2017–2020Early Years
Personal details
Born (1961-05-09) 9 May 1961 (age 63)
Batley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Political partyLabour Co-op
Alma materLoughborough University (BA)
University of the Arts London (MA)
WebsiteOfficial Website

Tracy Lynn Brabin (born 9 May 1961) is a British politician who has served as the Mayor of West Yorkshire since the office was established on 10 May 2021. She previously was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Batley and Spen from 2016 to 2021 under the Labour and Co-operative banner.[1]

Born in Batley, Brabin was an actress and television writer prior to entering politics, appearing in several British soap operas including Coronation Street, Doctors, EastEnders, Casualty and Emmerdale. She was elected for Batley and Spen in an October 2016 by-election after the murder of previous incumbent Jo Cox.

She was appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport by Jeremy Corbyn in January 2020, succeeding former Deputy Labour Leader Tom Watson. In April 2020, new Labour Leader Keir Starmer removed Brabin from the shadow cabinet and appointed her Shadow Minister for Cultural Industries.

She resigned as an MP after winning the 2021 West Yorkshire mayoral election. Her resignation triggered a by-election, which Labour's Kim Leadbeater won. She is the first ever woman to serve as a metro-mayor.

She won a second term in the 2024 West Yorkshire mayoral election.

  1. ^ "Tracy Brabin chosen as Labour mayor candidate for West Yorkshire". BBC News. 11 December 2020. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.

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