1. Tracy Lynn Brabin was born on 9 May 1961 and is a British politician who has been the Mayor of West Yorkshire since the office was established on 10 May 2021.
25 Facts About Tracy Brabin
1. 2.
Tracy Brabin was previously the Member of Parliament for Batley and Spen from 2016 to 2021 under the Labour and Co-operative banner.
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Tracy Brabin was elected for Batley and Spen in an October 2016 by-election after the murder of previous incumbent Jo Cox.
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Tracy Brabin was appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport by Jeremy Corbyn in January 2020, succeeding former Deputy Labour Leader Tom Watson.
5.
Tracy Brabin resigned as an MP after winning the 2021 West Yorkshire mayoral election.
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Tracy Brabin's resignation triggered a by-election, which Labour's Kim Leadbeater won.
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Tracy Brabin won a second term in the 2024 West Yorkshire mayoral election.
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Tracy Brabin studied drama at Loughborough University and gained a Master of Arts degree in screenwriting from the London College of Communication of the University of the Arts London in 2001.
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Tracy Brabin played clumsy waitress Sandra opposite David Jason in A Bit of a Do, Tricia Armstrong in Coronation Street from 1994 to 1997, and Ginny in three series of Richard Harris's Outside Edge.
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Tracy Brabin appeared in EastEnders as Roxy Drake, The Ghost Hunter as Mrs Oliver, Love + Hate as Gaynor, and in an episode of Midsomer Murders.
11.
In Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After, Tracy Brabin played Sarah, Duchess of York.
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Tracy Brabin played Linda, Sharon and Annie in Simon Beaufoy's play The Full Monty, an adaptation of his screenplay for the film, directed by Sheffield Theatre's Daniel Evans.
13.
Tracy Brabin wrote an episode of Doctors which was screened in December 2012.
14.
Tracy Brabin publicly endorsed the Labour Party at the 1997 general election, writing an article for the Labour-supporting Daily Mirror newspaper explaining that her father-in-law had died on a hospital trolley while waiting to see a doctor.
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In March 2005, Tracy Brabin was the lead member of a group of nine actors to write to The Observer explaining that while they continued to oppose the Blair government's military intervention in Iraq, they still "strongly support the re-election of a Labour government".
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Tracy Brabin canvassed for the Labour Party in the Kirklees council election in 2012.
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When Jo Cox was selected as Labour candidate for Batley and Spen, Tracy Brabin joined her campaign against the closure of libraries in the constituency.
18.
On 20 October 2016, Tracy Brabin was elected with an increased majority of around 10,000.
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Tracy Brabin retained the seat in the 2017 general election, with a majority of just under 9,000 over the Conservative Party candidate.
20.
Tracy Brabin was appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in January 2020 after the previous holder, Tom Watson stood down at the 2019 general election.
21.
Tracy Brabin was replaced as Shadow Culture Secretary in Keir Starmer's Shadow frontbench announcement but made Shadow Minister for Cultural Industries.
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Tracy Brabin responded to this by stating that she condemned the threats towards the teacher, welcomed the apology given by the school, and urged "all involved to work together and calm the situation".
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Tracy Brabin was the Labour Party's nomination for the inaugural Mayor of West Yorkshire in the 2021 election.
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However, Tracy Brabin had to resign her Batley and Spen seat, triggering a by-election, as Electoral Commission rules make the police and crime responsibilities in the role incompatible with being an MP.
25.
Tracy Brabin stood for a second term in the 2024 West Yorkshire mayoral election, and retained the position.