Sally Bunce, the Green candidate in the Tees Valley Mayor election, has dropped out of the race.
On the Twitter/X platform she posted:
“I have taken the incredibly difficult decision to withdraw as a candidate for Tees Valley Mayor. Unlike the other candidates, who are professional politicians, I am a working mum who is heavily involved in multiple voluntary roles and local community campaigns.
“As a result, neither I nor the Green Party’s resources can match the investment made by the larger parties. I am not someone who is willing to do less than my best in any role and I cannot do so now. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me.”
It was only this week that the Greens managed to meet the fundraising target of £5,000 that was needed for their election deposit. They reached their goal with the sponsored head-and-face shave of a particularly hirsute supporter.
The Greens are now left without a candidate. As the deadline for candidate registration is today, the party was left with no time to recruit a replacement.
The field now comprises the ruling mayor, Conservative Ben Houchen, Labour’s Darlington councillor Chris McEwan, and the LibDems’ Simon Thorley, who has an international language training business.
The Conservative MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, Simon Clarke claimed on Twitter/X that Bunce’s decision to withdraw was a deal with Labour in order to give them a clear run against Houchen.
He posted:
” ..the Greens are pulling out of the campaign for Tees Valley Mayor and making an informal pact with Labour. The Greens doing Labour’s bidding as usual on Teesside.”
But a Labour source said:
“There are no pacts, informal or otherwise. The only deal the Tories should be concerned about is the terrible deal they’ve delivered for the people of the Tees Valley.”
