Andy Street loses West Midlands mayor vote in election blow for Conservatives
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Andy Street has lost the West Midlands mayoralty in a shock defeat for the Conservatives, as Labour candidates swept to victory across England amid a drubbing for Rishi Sunak.
Tory Mr Street had hoped to cling on in the West Midlands, but Labour candidate Richard Parker beat him with a majority of just 1,508 votes.
His victory over the Conservative incumbent may have been higher had former Labour voters not lent their support to a local independent candidate amid disquiet over the party’s stance on Gaza.
The Conservative loss was part of a double blow for the Prime Minister after Labour’s Sadiq Khan secured a historic third term as Mayor of London.
The party also counted mayoral victories in Liverpool, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and in Greater Manchester where Andy Burnham returned to power.
With the loss of the West Midlands, the Prime Minister is left with the sole consolation of a mayoral victory in the Tees Valley.
Lord Ben Houchen retained the region for the Tories on Friday, amid denials he had sought to distance himself from the Conservatives during the campaign.
Mr Street’s loss may have an impact on the Prime Minister’s defence against backbench Tory challenges to his authority.
Rebellious voices on the Conservative benches began to rouse on Saturday night, with former home secretary Suella Braverman laying the blame of the defeats at the door of Downing Street.
But she insisted ousting the party leader “won’t work”, adding: “The hole to dig us out of is the PM’s, and it’s time for him to start shovelling.”
She urged Mr Sunak to adopt “strong leadership, not managerialism” on tax, migration, the small boats and law and order.
As West Midlands mayor, Mr Parker will represent an area covering Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Coventry, and other boroughs across the region.
In London, Mr Khan secured just over 1,088,000 votes to be re-elected London Mayor, a majority of some 275,000 over Conservative rival Ms Hall, who secured just under 813,000 votes.
It was the first time the contest has been run using the first-past-the-post system, where a winning candidate needs to secure a simple majority of votes.
Critics of the change in system suggested it would favour Conservative candidates, but this proved not to be the case.
Mr Khan joined a chorus of Labour voices calling on the Prime Minister to now call a general election.
In his victory speech at London City Hall, he said: “For the last eight years, London has been swimming against the tide of a Tory government, and now, with a Labour Party that’s ready to govern again under Keir Starmer, it’s time for Rishi Sunak to give the public a choice.
“A general election will not just pave the path to a new direction for our country, but it will make bold action Londoners want to see a reality.”
Labour leader Sir Keir had earlier suggested the Tories do not “deserve to be in Government for a moment longer”.
With 106 out of 107 of the local councils declared on Saturday, the Conservatives had suffered a net loss of 396 councillors, and the loss of 10 councils.
Labour won control of eight councils with a net gain of 231 seats, while the Liberal Democrats gained 97 seats and the Greens 64.
Labour has lost seats in a smattering of council seats to independents and George Galloway’s Workers Party of Britain, apparently over its position on the conflict in the Middle East.
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