Rachel Reeves, the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, made a quick visit to Harrogate at the weekend to support the mayoral campaign of Labour candidate David Skaith. 

The Leeds West MP, who was formerly an economist at the Bank of England, met local party workers and joined Mr Skaith to canvass in the town centre. 

Mr Skaith, who now lives in Wheldrake near York, grew up in Harrogate and his family still live there. 

Also chair of the York High Street Forum, he has focused many of his pledges on helping people and businesses. He has promised to introduce a cost-of-living support fund to help those who are struggling financially, and launch a high-street fund to support businesses financially and strategically. 

He said: 

Although Harrogate is not usually considered natural campaigning territory for Labour, the party has said it is the only one that can defeat the Conservatives across York and North Yorkshire as a whole.

The mayoral region includes Conservative-controlled North Yorkshire, where Labour has just 11 of the 90 county council seats, and Labour-controlled York, where the Conservatives have just three of the 47 city council seats. The region stretches from the outskirts of Darlington in the north to within five miles of Doncaster in the south, and from the east coast to within 10 miles of the west coast.

Voting in the mayoral election will take place across the region from 7am to 10pm on Thursday, May 2.

The candidates for mayor are:

• Keith Tordoff, independent


• Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Liberal Democrats


• Keane Duncan, Conservative Party


• David Skaith, Labour Party


• Kevin Foster, Green Party


• Paul Haslam, independent

Read more:

• North Yorkshire mayoral election: Where do the candidates differ?


• The businessman tasked with winning Labour the North Yorkshire mayoral election


• By-election suggests tactical voting may topple Tories in Harrogate and Knaresborough