Blair backs Mail Mayor campaign

Apr 4 2007 By Jon Griffin, Birmingham Mail

TONY Blair has backed the Birmingham Mail's campaign for a referendum over a directly-elected Mayor - and announced it was time for a "big, local leader" to run the city.

The Prime Minister threw his full support behind this newspaper's bid to allow the general public to decide whether there should be a fundamental change in the city's corridors of power.

And, in the biggest endorsement yet of the growing clamour for change at the top, the man who runs the country said that Birmingham was so huge it overwhelmingly deserved a directly-elected leader.

The Prime Minister said: "I think we need a big, local leader in a city like Birmingham.

"It is bigger than some of the countries in the EU in population terms, and in wealth terms.

"You look back to the days of Chamberlain in Birmingham... he was one of the great civic leaders, a great national leader.

"I think an elected Mayor gives one clear point of accountability - and it is a very direct accountability."

Mr Blair said he would follow the Birmingham Mail's campaign Òwith interestÓ - and claimed running Birmingham was equal to any top political job in the country.

"I think, for the future, the person who runs Birmingham will have a job which is as big as anyone else's in politics."

The PM said the people of London had now accepted a directly-elected Mayor, regardless of their opinions of Ken Livingstone.

"In London, whether people like Ken, or they don't like Ken, they would not do without it now. If you look around the whole of the major cities, that is what people normally have.

"In many of the big American cities, they will have an elected Mayor."

Mr Blair said it would ultimately be up to the city's electorate to decide on the elected Mayor issue through a referendum, adding: "Personally I am in favour, it would be good for the city, but it is entirely up to the local people."

The Prime Minister's backing for a referendum means that all national political leaders are now united on the issue, with both Tory leader David Cameron and Lib-Dem leader Sir Ming Campbell speaking out on the issue last month.

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