Labour mayor will not seek re-election

A Labour mayor has announced he will not stand for re-election and said his four-year tenure had taken a "very heavy toll".

Nik Johnson, mayor for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, was the second person to hold the role when elected in 2021.

Only hours earlier, Johnson signed off on plans to franchise bus services, which he described as a "huge moment".

"I now recognise that the path to a second mayoral term is just one step too far for me," he said in a statement.

"I've loved being mayor, I've done everything I set out to do, and as much as I want to continue, for my own and for my family's sake, I know that I have to step away."

He said getting elected as mayor was the proudest moment of his political career and the "transformation of our public transport system is far and away my biggest achievement".

However, his period as mayor has been a difficult one.

He faced allegations of bullying in the first months of his leadership, for which he later apologised.

His statement appeared to make reference of this: "None of this has been easy, and I have had to contend with no shortage of challenge, conflict, and controversy along the way, all of which have taken a very heavy toll, personally, professionally, and most of all, physically."

He stepped away from mayoral duties for a number of months in 2022 and 2023 after undergoing heart surgery, and he said he had also discussed his future with the medical team at Royal Papworth Hospital.

He said he believed "wholeheartedly" in the devolution project being led by the Labour government, which involves dismantling, merging and restructuring local authorities across England.

The mayoral elections for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are due to take place on 1 May.

Other candidates announced so far are Lorna Dupre for the Liberal Democrats and Paul Bristow for the Conservatives.

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