FORMER Olympic gold medallist Luke Campbell has become the first mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire.
Campbell, who won boxing gold at the London 2012 games, was voted in as the new mayor for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party in today’s local council elections.
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The 37-year-old retired southpaw has swapped the boxing ring for a career in politics after 24 fights as a bantamweight puncher.
He becomes the first mayor of the devolved local government body covering the city of Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire – representing more then 610,000 people with over £13million of annual government funding.
As head of the combined authority, Campbell will serve for four years – making decisions on housing, public transport, infrastructure, economic development, business, skills and regeneration.
Campbell, who is a local lad from Hull, received 48,491 votes in East Yorkshire, putting him 10,981 ballots ahead of Liberal Democrat Mike Ross in second.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage had predicted that Campbell would sweep the vote in Hull and East Yorkshire, but the former Olympian was still making pleas for everyone to vote on social media today.
While Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice gushed about the boxer-turned-politician.
He told the BBC: “He’ll have a common sense approach to bringing people together and a bullish vision for Hull and East Yorkshire.
“The sport of boxing requires courage, tenacity, bravery, which Luke has in huge abundance.
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“He will rise to the challenge, he’ll have good people around him and he’ll be very successful.”
Campbell, who retired from boxing in 2021, only announced he would be running for mayor in late February.
The former Dancing on Ice competitor, who received an MBE in 2013, spoke about being “truly humbled and honoured” in his victory speech.
While he recently discussed the reasons behind his unusual foray into politics.
He told the Yorkshire Post: “The only thing that inspired me to stand forward was the potential good I could do for my community.
“Hull and East Yorkshire gave me everything, they supported me my whole career.
“I want to give back, I’m one of the people of this region and I want to stand up and fight for what the people want.”
Reform UK has sent shockwaves through the political establishment after an extraordinary by-election win and seizing full control of seven county councils.
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