
From Greggs, to Miss UK stage and Grimsby Town Hall: Who's Reform's first mayor Andrea Jenkyns?
Dame Andrea Jenkyns has been elected as Reform UK 's first-ever mayor.
In her victory speech, Jenkyns vowed there would be 'an end to soft touch Britain' and declared it was a "new dawn in British politics".
Dame Andrea has certainly worn many different hats - from working at Greggs after leaving school at 16, to reaching the final of Miss UK at 18, to a political career spanning local authorities, Parliament and two parties.
But who is she, and what shaped the former Conservative minister's return to politics?
Time with the Tories
Jenkyns' political career began at Lincolnshire County Council, where she was elected in 2009 - a seat she later lost to UKIP.
But 2015 saw her political career gain momentum, beating Labour's Ed Balls to the Morley and Outwood constituency, a seat she ended up holding for nine years.
A staunch supporter of Brexit and Boris Johnson, Jenkyns submitted no-confidence letters in both former prime ministers, Theresa May and Rishi Sunak.
Under the Johnson administration, she was appointed assistant whip in September 2021 before becoming an education minister in July 2022.
But shortly after she took up her new job, she sparked outrage when she flipped her middle finger at the public outside Downing Street as she was en route to watch Johnson's resignation speech.
Her actions were met with outrage from teachers' leaders after footage of the incident circulated on social media.
In response, she claimed a 'baying mob outside the gates were insulting MPs on their way in" - something that "is sadly too common,' she added.
She was reappointed in the role by Liz Truss that September, who she endorsed in the party leadership election, but remained part of the cabinet for only 49 days and left after Rishi Sunak became the new prime minister.
Shift to Reform UK
In the run up to the election, she was forced to defend using a picture of herself and Nigel Farage on her campaign leaflet.
Standing by her choice, she said: "All conservatives must be prepared to come together to prevent a socialist supermajority and the end of Britain as we know it."
However, Dame Andrea was voted out of her constituency of Leeds South West and Morley in last year's general election, losing to Labour MP Mark Sewards.
She then defected from the Conservative party to Reform UK in November 2024. Describing her former party as "tired", she claimed to be "politically aligned" with Nigel Farage.
Jenkyns will now oversee a £24 million budget and influence areas such as transport, regeneration and housing.
ITV News' Political Correspondent Shehab Khan, who has been watching events unfold from North Lincolnshire, said: "Her election as the first Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire now offers a revealing opportunity to see how Reform governs in practice.
"One member of the shadow cabinet summed up their mood with a pointed remark: 'Let's see how they get on when there's actual work to do'."
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