He fought for the post in 2017 as an independent and was eliminated after the first round having polled 9,176 votes but Ely businessman Peter Dawe has an outside chance of returning in 2025 and this time as the Reform UK candidate.
He is the preferred choice of at least one Reform branch – Ely and East Cambridgeshire – but Reform HQ has yet to announce him or anyone else at this stage as their candidate for May’s election as Mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
With Reform riding high in the opinion polls, Mr Dawe, or any other Reform candidate, can expect to administer a dent in the votes for other parties, particularly those who might otherwise have voted Conservative.
In 2017 James Palmer won with 56.9 per cent of the vote after no candidate received 50% of the vote in the first round: Mr Palmer beat Liberal Democrat Rod Cantrill in the second round count.
Mr Palmer received 88,826 votes in total, while Mr Cantrill received 67,205 votes. The turnout was 33.8%.
In 2025, of course, the voting returns to first past the post and with incumbent mayor Dr Nik Johnson standing down, Labour will be represented by the current deputy mayor Cllr Anna Smith.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayoral elections, 2017, Peter Dawe Independent. Ross Peers Sports Centre, Soham 05/05/2017. Picture by Terry Harris.Conservatives have opted for former Peterborough MP Paul Bristow whilst the Liberal Democrats will be represented in the ballot of Cllr Lorna Dupre, opposition leader at East Cambridgeshire District Council.
Mr Dawe was not short of ideas when he stood for Mayor in 2017, suggesting promotion of the building of a Wash Barrier, building houses by using a modular system and a host of transport initiatives.
He added at the time: “My platform is one of empowerment. Government has for too long taken initiative away from people. I will empower people to make their world a better place.
Tory candidate for Mayor Paul Bristow. Picture by Terry Harris.“If you want your school to be better funded, then go out and raise funds. If the street is unattractive, go plant some flowers or put up some street art.
“Many people are frightened off from just doing something about it, because they think the council will object. As Mayor, I will try to help the willing, not get in their way! Use the powers of office to get things done, not to stop them!”
Ryan Coogan is chairman of the Ely and East Cambridgeshire branch of Reform and says he has not heard yet about official endorsement of Mr Dawe or any other candidate.
Cllr Lorna Dupre celebrates being selected by Lib Dem councillors and campaigners from across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to contest May’s election for Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough“Our branch candidate Peter Dawe OBE has been told he has not been given the candidate status, so we still wait and see,” he told me.
“No local chairs know who it is either, must be a big name based on the quality we have that has been turned down. Or we will all be very disappointed.”
Mr Coogan is not without his own thoughts about Cambridgeshire which he recently described as “creaking at the seams.
“Our roads are pothole-ridden, our rivers are among the most polluted in the country, and yet the local Lib Dem and Labour leadership seem far more interested in laying down tarmac in the middle of the countryside than fixing basic infrastructure.
“Even when Cambridge City Council actually tried to engage residents and address concerns over a planning application at the Beehive Centre, it was immediately ‘called in’—snatching away local decision-making to be imposed by Westminster.
Cllr Anna Smith has been selected to stand as Labour’s candidate for Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.Picture by Terry Harris.
“But here’s the thing: we still have a vote. On 1st May 2025, Cambridgeshire can shift the balance of power at county and bring back a little common sense. It’s not just the county council elections—it’s also the Mayoral election, where transport decisions like these will be shaped. Plenty of places don’t have local elections this year—we do.
“And once the trees are felled, the Cam is fouled, and the chalk streams run dry, they’re not easily, if ever, restored.”
