Relief for Sunak as Tories cling on in crunch Tees Valley mayoral race

Ben Houchen, who has been Mayor since 2017, defeated his Labour rival with 54 per cent of the vote – compared to the 73 per cent that he took at the last election in 2021.significant victory for the Conservatives

The other major mayoralty held by the Tories is the West Midlands, where Andy Street will not hear until Saturday whether or not he has won his battle for re-election. The area is not historically a hotbed of Conservative support, but Ben Houchen’s victory in its first ever mayoral race in 2017 was an early sign that a political realignment was under way across parts of the UK – and his landslide re-election in 2021 came at the height of Boris Johnson’s political dominance.

Make no mistake – the party has gone backwards in Tees Valley, just as it has in most of the country with the loss of well over 100 councillors .

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