Jamie Driscoll kicks off North East tour in Morpeth after quitting Labour for independent mayor run

It is just over a month since the North of Tyne mayor quit the Labour Party with a tirade against Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership and confirmed his intention to run as an independent in next year’s historic North East mayoral election.

In that time his name has been across national news headlines and around 6,000 online donations have raised more than £131,000 for a campaign in which he is bidding to upset Kim McGuinness, who was named as Labour’s candidate after Mr Driscoll was controversially barred from his former party’s selection contest in June amid a row over him sharing platform with film director Ken Loach.

Speaking to around 80 people in a church in Morpeth, the first stop on a town hall tour of the region over the coming months, the left wing figurehead told his supporters that they had a choice between “an independent mayor with a proven track record” or someone “who takes their orders from London party HQ”.

Mr Driscoll repeated his pledges to end unemployment and create a ‘total’ transport network, including on-demand bus services for rural areas, if elected next May to the new regional post.

Asked what influence he could truly have as an independent, particularly with Labour favourites to win the next general election, he replied: “How can you have any influence if you are controlled by the party HQ? If the Labour Party took me out that sends a signal to anybody that if they deviate from party policy then you have no influence.

“Do you want a puppet in the North East or do you want someone who is independently minded?”

A Labour Party source said that Ms McGuinnness, currently the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, was “focused on her campaign to deliver for the North East, she’s out across the region talking to voters about their priorities, not patting herself on the back in talking shops”.

Mr Driscoll told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that he had received a “phenomenal” level of support since going independent last month and that people had been “disgusted” by Labour’s refusal to let him seek its nomination.

Alasdair Turnbull, one of the locals who came to question Mr Driscoll on Tuesday night, approved of his decision to leave Labour.

The 76-year-old said: “I think we should have someone (as mayor) who is not party political – it should be people actually looking at the issues, not having a party whip behind them.”

Following Mr Driscoll’s exclusion from the contest, Ms McGuinness defeated former MEP Paul Brannen to secure Labour’s candidacy.

She has pledged that she would focus on ending the North East’s child poverty crisis if elected and, like Mr Driscoll, has also promised to bring the North East’s bus network under public control and reopen disused railway lines.

No other parties have yet announced their candidates for next year’s election, which follows the agreement of a new £4bn devolution deal for the region.