Brenda Dacres

Brenda Vanessa Dacres (born November 1966) is a British Labour and Co-operative Party politician who is Mayor of Lewisham. In 2024 she became the first black woman directly elected mayor in England.

Early life
Dacres is working class. She was born to Windrush generation parents.

Career
She formerly served as mayor and deputy mayor and on Lewisham London Borough Council. She was elected in New Cross ward in 2014 and 2018 and Deptford ward in 2022. She first stood in 2017 for selection as the Labour candidate for Mayor of Lewisham but was beaten by Damien Egan, who was subsequently elected as Mayor in 2018.

Dacres applied to be the Labour candidate in the 2018 Lewisham East by-election. She was a supporter of the Labour for free movement campaign. She appeared on an all ethnic minority women shortlist but was beaten by Janet Daby.

In 2024 she was elected Mayor of Lewisham. The by-election was called after Damien Egan was elected to Parliament in the 2024 Kingswood by-election.