Labour’s Richard Parker defeats Andy Street in tight West Midlands mayoral race after Sadiq Khan wins third term in London – live | Politics

Rishi Sunak has released a statement on the election results and admitted it was “disappointing” that Andy Street lost in the West Midlands.

But the PM has insisted the country was “turning a corner” and that his party’s plan “is working”.

“After a tough few years in the aftermath of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, we as a nation are turning a corner. Our plan is working with inflation more than halved, tax cuts worth an average of £900 hitting people’s pockets, state pensions protected with our triple lock, our Rwanda bill signed into law, allowing us to start detaining illegal migrants ready for the first flights, legal migration down and defence spending boosted.

“We Conservatives understand the priorities of the British people and are delivering on them.

“It’s been disappointing of course to lose dedicated Conservative councillors and Andy Street in the West Midlands, with his track record of providing great public services and attracting significant investment to the area, but that has redoubled my resolve to continue to make progress on our plan.

“So we will continue working as hard as ever to take the fight to Labour and deliver a brighter future for our country.”

Keir Starmer has struck a conciliatory tone as he told voters who had turned away from Labour over its stance on Gaza he was determined to win their trust again in the future.

Speaking in Birmingham, the Labour leader said: “I say directly to those who may have voted Labour in the past but felt that on this occasion that they couldn’t that across the West Midlands we are a proud and diverse community.

“I have heard you. I have listened. And I am determined to meet your concerns and to gain your respect and trust again in the future.”

Labour has lost seats in a smattering of councils to independents and George Galloway’s Worker’s party of Britain over its approach to the conflict in the Middle East.

But the party dominated mayoral elections across England, winning in Liverpool, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and in Greater Manchester, where Andy Burnham returned to power.

As Labour celebrates strong results in this week’s local elections, Opinium’s latest poll reveals the party also maintains a strong 16-point lead over the Conservatives.

Labour has 40% (-1), the Conservatives are on 24% (-1) and the Liberal Democrats have 11% (+1). Reform falls slightly to 12% (-1), while the Green party remains on 7% and SNP on 3% (+1).

Rishi Sunak’s approval rating has also dropped by -6 points in the last month to -40% net, while Keir Starmer’s remains stable at -9% net, widening his lead to +30%.

The Muslim Council of Britain’s secretary-general, Zara Mohammed, said: “These election results are a wake-up call to all parties: every vote counts. Politicians can’t take anyone for granted, especially not British Muslims.

“The dissatisfaction with politicians is palpable, and the response to the atrocities in Gaza is only the tip of the iceberg.

“Instead of respectful and meaningful dialogue, British Muslims face a political culture dominated by ideologues silencing their voices, questioning their intentions or having their views filtered through acceptable gatekeepers.”

Andy Street apologises to his team and thanks voters

The former West Midlands mayor apologised to his Conservative team after being defeated by Richard Parker and not making a hat-trick.

Saying thank you to his team across the region, he added: “It has been my honour to lead you for the last seven years.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t make it that triple or hat-trick, but mark my words, you will be back for that.”

Street thanked his fellow candidates, including Parker for “how he’s conducted himself in the campaign” and wished him “all strength and wisdom as he takes on this role”.

And he also thanked those who voted for him on Thursday, for the “trust” they showed in him, adding “that’s perhaps the most important word in politics of all”.

In the end, it was not to be, but of course, that doesn’t mean I appreciate that trust any less. So thank you, to the voters.

I hope I’ve done it with dignity and integrity.

And I hope I’ve bequeathed to Richard a combined authority and indeed a role to which young aspiring leaders will want to aspire one day.

In a sense, I can have done no more than that.

It has been a great privilege. But tonight, I just wanted to say thank you, and good night.

Richard Parker says he will make West Midlands a ‘roaring success’

The new mayor of the West Midlands said he would “make this region a roaring success again” and that his election shows “people are calling for Labour, and calling for change”.

This is the most important thing I will ever do, this week people here voted for the person and the party.

They recognise that a Labour mayor can make a positive difference in this region.

You have put your trust in me and I will repay that trust – I will deliver for you and your family, I promise you that I will deliver jobs, we will fix our public transport system, we will build the homes you need and we will give this region the fresh start it richly deserves.

I will also stand up for those people who didn’t vote for me.

People are calling for Labour, and calling for change. People are looking once again at our party and asking us to govern, up and down the country.

Richard Parker thanks Andy Street after his shock win

The newly elected mayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker, thanked the Conservative candidate, Andy Street, after his shock win.

Speaking after his election was announced, Labour’s Parker said: “Thank you first and foremost, thank you.”

He thanked polling staff and added: “Thank you also to Andy [Street], you’ve led this region through a number of great challenges and you deserve a great credit for that.

“You deserve credit for building up the combined authority into the powerhouse that it is today, through the economic shocks, and leading this region when it came out of Covid.

“You’ve been out there representing our region, I absolutely believe that whilst our politics are different, Andy, we both have the best interests of the West Midlands at heart.”

Keir Starmer celebrates ‘phenomenal’ victory in West Midlands

The Labour leader said Labour’s victory in the West Midlands mayoral election was a “phenomenal result” that was “beyond our expectations”.

“People across the country have had enough of Conservative chaos and decline and voted for change with Labour.

“Our fantastic new mayor Richard Parker stands ready to deliver a fresh start for the West Midlands.

“My changed Labour party is back in the service of working people, and stands ready to govern. Labour will turn the page after 14 years of Tory decline and usher in a decade of national renewal. That change starts today.”

Richard Parker wins by 1,508 votes to become mayor of West Midlands

Rishi Sunak will have been relieved when Ben Houchen was declared the winner in the Tees Valley mayoral election, but he can’t disguise the fact that these were very bad election results, writes the former prime minister Theresa May’s chief of staff, Garvin Barwell.

Council elections are difficult to interpret – there are a host of local factors at play. The best thing to look at is what is known as national equivalent vote share. The BBC’s estimate at the time of writing is that Labour received 34% and the Conservatives 25%.

This tells us two important things about British politics. First – if we didn’t already know it – that the Tories are likely heading for a defeat, and potentially a very heavy one, at the general election later this year: 25% is as bad as they were getting at the nadir of John Major’s government (David Cameron did recover from a similarly low standing but that was in midterm, not a few months before polling day).

Despite all Rishi Sunak’s efforts, the party has actually gone backwards slightly over the past 12 months.

Sadiq Khan has been re-elected as the Mayor of London with the smallest mandate since the office was created 24 years ago, analysis from the Electoral Reform Society shows.

The Labour politician won 43.8% of the vote, which was enough to secure him a third term under the new first past the post system.

Labour MP Ellie Reeves has just congratulated Richard Parker on his “incredible result and significant victory” in the West Midlands.

Labour won three of the eight police and crime commissioner elections declared on Saturday, gaining Cheshire from the Conservatives and holding West Midlands and Merseyside.

The Conservatives held Hertfordshire and Dorset comfortably, and had narrow wins in Warwickshire by just 306 votes, 0.26%, Thames Valley by 2,343 (0.52%) and Wiltshire by 2,233 votes (1.79%).

Labour gained nine PCCs from the Conservatives on Friday, as well as holding five.

The party now has 17 PCCs, the same as the Conservatives, with Plaid Cymru retaining Dyfed-Powys.

There are two results to be declared on Sunday, in Kent and Sussex.