As one of the UK’s most high-profile metropolitan mayors, Marvin Rees has announced his intention to stand as a Labour MP in the next parliamentary election.

Marvin’s appointment as Mayor in 2016 made Bristol the first major European city to have elected a mayor of black African heritage. But the post of mayor will be abolished in 2024 in favour of a new committee system, leading to Marvin’s decision to join the MP campaign trail in the new constituency of Bristol North East.

During his eight-year tenure he has become known as a unifying and respected voice on race and class in Bristol as well as an advocate for a green future.

Marvin found himself thrust into the epicentre of the BLM movement when the statue of 17th-century slave owner Edward Colston was toppled by protesters in 2020. He removed artist Marc Quinn’s replacement for the empty plinth, an unauthorised statue of BLM protester Jen Reid, saying the empty plinth was the “best way to express the city” for the time being and that the people of Bristol should democratically decide on the plinth’s future. Currently, the plinth remains empty.

Marvin also made a key election pledge to increase the new homes target for 2024 to 2,000 new homes per year. In 2021/22 Bristol built 2,563 new homes, exceeding his target, including 474 affordable homes.

He recently signed the Bristol City Leap contract: the world-first partnership plans to invest an initial £630m into clean energy by 2028, creating more than 1,000 new jobs and cutting 150,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. 

Marvin has also spoken repeatedly on the critical role of cities in tackling climate change, including with King Charles III at Clarence House, at COP26 in Glasgow and at TED22 in Vancouver.

He continues to chair Core Cities UK, a network of the UK’s largest cities outside of London, in addition to the Local Government Association City Regions Board. Marvin also serves as President of the British Exploring Society. 

Throughout his career, Rees has worked in diverse areas, starting at a UK international Christian aid agency before developing his skills in Washington DC, helping to organise the response of faith-based organisations to President Bill Clinton’s Welfare Reform Bill.