Sheffield mayor: Council leaders and MPs back Dan Jarvis bid

The 45-year-old ex-soldier was elected as Labour candidate for the Sheffield City Region mayoral election

A group of Yorkshire's Labour MPs have backed Dan Jarvis to remain an MP if he is elected Sheffield City Region mayor.

Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) recently changed party rules to prevent MPs staying in a seat if they are also elected as a mayor.

But Mr Jarvis said he wanted to remain as MP for Barnsley Central even if he is elected on 3 May.

In a letter to the NEC, a group of 13 Labour MPs described their party's new rule as "unfair" and "undemocratic".

Leaders of South Yorkshire's four councils - Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield - have also said they are "gravely concerned" by Labour's decision.

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The NEC ruled last week that no-one could serve in two elected roles, and the general secretary wrote to Mr Jarvis to tell him he must stand down from parliament if elected mayor.

Mr Jarvis had until 17:00 BST on Tuesday to clarify his position, but the deadline has passed.

The Yorkshire and Humber Parliamentary Labour Group backed Mr Jarvis, saying he was selected in the "full knowledge" he would do both jobs.

They said it was "unfair, undemocratic and an insult" for Labour to change the rules days before the ballot closed.

"We want to argue strongly that Dan Jarvis should be our candidate for Mayor of the Sheffield City Region... whilst retaining his position as MP," the letter said.

Analysis by James Vincent, BBC Yorkshire political editor

So Labour's Yorkshire heavyweights are in Dan Jarvis's corner and this one might just go the distance. MPs are writing to their own party, using words like "unfair" and "undemocratic".

All four South Yorkshire council leaders, who couldn't even agree whether to have this election in the first place, have signed a letter backing Dan Jarvis. They're "gravely concerned".

Labour is royally cheesing off its own members in Yorkshire.

The party could decide to pick another candidate but Dan Jarvis's supporters aren't going to back down. This could end up in the courts.

And who would stand for Labour instead of Mr Jarvis? They might end up being the most unpopular Labour candidate South Yorkshire has ever seen.

South Yorkshire's four council leaders also said Mr Jarvis was chosen as mayoral candidate by a "clear majority" of local members.

Chris Read of Rotherham, Julie Dore of Sheffield, Steve Houghton of Barnsley and Ros Jones of Doncaster are all "gravely concerned" by Labour's decision.

"Dan has been clear about his intentions throughout, so neither the members of Barnsley Central CLP, nor the rest of South Yorkshire, could have been in doubt about this," their letter said.

They urged the NEC to "respect the will of the membership" and endorse his candidacy.

The BBC has approached Mr Jarvis and the Labour Party for comment.