Call for PM apology over Plymouth referendum

Man behind mayor campaign says result was not "true reflection"

Leading campaigner for a Mayor for Plymouth, Angus Forbes, has called for the Prime Minister to issue an apology to the city’s residents for the government “inferring that the referendum was cancelled” three weeks before the event. 

Plymouth voted No to a directly elected mayor or city mayor last night, after a highly charged campaign on both sides.

Three weeks ago minister of state for local government and English devolution, Jim McMahon, confirmed that no new city mayors would be created under new devolution laws. He said that any election, should the referendum vote in favour of having a directly elected mayor, would be postponed to May 2027 to allow a bill to pass through parliament.

This, the Plymouth Know Better’s No campaign said, was effectively making the referendum “redundant” even though it still had to take place as support from more than 10,000 voters had triggered the process.

Mr Forbes said today the government “interfered so aggressively” that many citizens thought the referendum was cancelled.

Only 19 per cent of the population turned out to vote.

“I call upon the Prime Minister to issue an apology to the citizens of Plymouth for his government’s direct frustration and interference in a live referendum, an action of self-determination which was started well before the general election,” he said.

He said the result, which saw 52 per cent of voters support the current leader and cabinet model of governance, was not “a true reflection” of the need for change.

Mr Forbes has challenged the government to create the proposed regional mayor, who will oversee strategic planning, transport, housing, skills and employment, in a new local government structure, within the next six months and base them in Plymouth.

He said only then could Plymouth start to change by having a “true champion of this city chosen directly by the people” and move on from 27 years of “failure” under the current governing structure.

The Mayor for Plymouth campaign was built on having more democracy, accountability, talent and economic growth and was critical of an “over-political councillor-led system which had failed”.

But the public have voted to keep the current system which Labour and Conservative councillors in Plymouth supported .

They said it was “a waste of money”, a city mayor would have no more power or money and it was “a political experiment that we should avoid at all costs.”

The LDRS has contacted the government for a response.