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He says he remembers thinking "here's a nice opportunity to provide a Devon voice in Westminster which is exactly the job Baldwin was given 900 years ago."

Then, on 8 May, there will be a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey before a live concert from Horse Guards Parade, which more than 10,000 members of the public are expected to attend.

The new mayor was established under the previous Tory administration in 2023 to push powers out of Westminster, copying the blueprint of London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

Hundreds of Westminster insiders were added to - and then swiftly deleted from - a WhatsApp group set up by shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick to promote his London marathon run.

Anyone who flouts the new rules may face enforcement that includes a fine, equipment being seized or their licence being taken off them, a Westminster City Council spokesperson said.