EDGBASTON MP Gisela Stuart has become the third Labour politician to say they would like to become the first directly elected mayor of Birmingham.

But she dismissed fears that her German heritage might not make her a popular choice with voters at a recent meeting of Labour Party activists.

Instead she has a far more sinister skeleton in the closet.

“Nobody in Birmingham is worried about my German background.

“But they can get quite offended when they find out I spent ten years in Manchester before coming to Birmingham,” she explained.