By Sarah Sanderson

Copyright bbc

The position of high steward dates back to 1853 but was abolished in 1974 following the creation of the county of Humberside.

In 2012, former Labour councillor Steven Bayes proposed reinstating the role and the idea was approved by the council.

Lord Mandelson – whose grandfather Herbert Morrison had also been high steward – was approached for the position.

The appointment was made official in a ceremony at Hull’s Guildhall in May 2013, when Lord Mandelson vowed to serve the city to his “best judgement and ability”.

Over a decade later, party leaders from across the political divide in Hull, including council leader Mike Ross and Labour opposition leader Daren Hale, now want to see him removed.

Peter Mandelson rose to prominence as a key architect of New Labour, alongside Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. His reputation as a spin doctor earned him the nickname, “the Prince of Darkness”.

He became MP for Hartlepool in 1992 and entered the government following Labour’s landslide election victory in 1997, later serving as business secretary, trade secretary and Northern Ireland secretary.

But he was forced to resign from the government twice, first in 1998 over a secret loan, and then again in 2001 after denying he had used his position to influence a passport application. An inquiry cleared him of wrongdoing.