From Sadiq Khan to Andy Street: all metro mayors fighting for their jobs on May 2

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On May 2, the country will go to the polls as local elections begin.

Besides the thousands of local councilors, many voters will also choose their candidate for regional metro mayor. Ten of the 12 positions are up for grabs this year, representing around 44% of England's population.

Metropolitan mayors are directly elected leaders who chair the combined authorities in the United Kingdom. These authorities have powers devolved to central government, covering areas such as transport, business support and sometimes housing, crime and health.

There are currently ten metro mayors in the United Kingdom. United, but that number is expected to rise to 12 after the May 2 election. A new mayoral role has been created for the East Midlands, while the combined North Tyne authority will be absorbed into the new, larger North East authority.

Here's everything you need to know on the UK's eight metropolitan mayors facing May 2 election battles:

Sadiq Khan, London

London Mayor Sadiq Khan urged young people to vote on May 2 (Stefan Rousseau /PA) (PA Wire)

Sadiq Khan was first elected Mayor of London in 2016, after 11 years as a Labor MP for Tooting. He was re-elected in 2021 with 55% of the vote, defeating Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith.

The Greater London Authority was the first combined authority established in the United Kingdom, established in 2000. It has remained the first combined authority established in the UK. the only such authority until 2017, when six additional mayors were elected across the country.

As an MP, Khan was appointed Minister of Transport in 2009, becoming the first Muslim MP and the first Asian MP to serve in the cabinet.

During his two terms as Mayor of London, Khan made transport and green policies a priority, introducing several key reforms. These include periodic TfL fare 'freezes', reduced one-hour bus fares and an Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ), which excludes high-polluting vehicles from central areas of the capital.< /p>

Born in London in 1970, Khan, 53,'s parents moved to the capital from Pakistan in the 1960s. He attended a state school in Tooting before studying law at the University of North London (now London Metropolitan University).

Khan then worked as a human rights lawyer, chairing the advocacy group Liberty for three years. . He was a councilor for the London Borough of Wandsworth from 1994 to 2006.

Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester