John Lewis boss to stand for West Midlands Mayor

Department store John Lewis has confirmed that managing director Andy Street is “interested in running” for the office of the Mayor of the West Midlands.

Street has informed the John Lewis chairman that he would apply to be the Conservative mayoral candidate, adding that if he is selected as the party’s choice, he would step down from his John Lewis role, and as the chairman of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership.

He has led the department store for nearly a decade and in a short statement confirmed that if he is selected that a further announcement would be made to confirm the succession plan for the future leadership of the John Lewis brand.

If selected by the Conservatives, Street will be up against Labour candidate Siôn Simon, MEP for the West Midlands and a former Birmingham MP, and Lib Democratic candidate Beverley Nielsen to become the first-ever elected mayor of the West Midlands.

The winning Conservatives candidate will be announced September 29 following the party conference.

"Should Andy be successful in his application, he has agreed with the chairman that he should step down from his role and a further announcement will be made to confirm the succession plan for the future leadership of the John Lewis brand," the John Lewis partnership said in a statement.

Voters in Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Walsall, Sandwell, Solihull and Wolverhampton go to the polls in May 2017 to elect the region’s first mayor as part of the Government’s attempts to hand more power to English regions.