Mayor Campbell appoints ex-Grimsby MP Lia Nici as political advisor

NEW ROLE: Former Grimsby MP Lia Nici

EXCLUSIVE

By Angus Young

Hull and East Yorkshire Mayor Luke Campbell has appointed Lia Nici as his new political advisor.

Earlier this week it was revealed the former Grimsby MP for had quit the Conservatives to join Reform UK.

She won the Great Grimsby seat for the Tories in 2019 but finished third in the renamed Grimsby and Cleethorpes constituency in the 2024 General Election.

During her time at Westminster, Ms Nici was a Boris Johnson loyalist and worked as parliamentary private secretary for the then Prime Minister for eight months in 2022.

Now she has been recruited by Reform UK’s Mayor Campbell to join his team at the new-look combined authority covering Hull and East Yorkshire.

He said: “I am delighted to welcome Lia to the team. I am confident she will be a great asset as we continue working hard for the communities of Hull and East Yorkshire.”

‘SHE’LL BE A GREAT ASSET’: Mayor Campbell

The mayor-led combined authority’s governance arrangements allows the mayor to appoint a salaried political advisor.

Until now, the advisor’s role has been filled by Norfolk-based Reform councillor Robin Hunter-Clarke who acted as the former professional boxer’s election agent during his successful campaign, which resulted in Campbell becoming Hull and East Yorkshire’s first directly elected mayor in May.

It’s not yet known how much Ms Nici is being paid in her new position.