West Midlands mayoral election defeat for Tories fires starting gun on future of the party
West Midlands mayoral election defeat for Tories fires starting gun on future of the party Source link
All posts tagged: Andy Street
Andy Street sends message to Rishi Sunak after West Midlands mayoral election loss | Politics | News
Andy Street has sent a clear and forthright message to Rishi Sunak after he failed to be re-elected as West Midlands mayor. The Tory politician and business man agonisingly missed out on being returned to his office. He was pipped at the post by Labour’s Richard Parker, who graciously thanked his opponent for all his hard work in his victory speech. Mr Parker secured a very narrow victory in the mayoral election in a major upset for the Tories. He won by a sender thin majority of 1,508 votes – securing 37.8 percent of the vote, while Mr Street got 37.5 percent. Andy Street later appeared on Sky News and was asked what message he had for Britain’s Prime Minister after his defeat. The former Tory mayor said voters had consistently told him at the doorstep that “he had got the job done”. So he advised the Prime Minister to pay heed to the words of the West Midlamds’ voters. He said: “Concentrate on the job and getting that done. That’s what the people want. …
Labour Wins West Midlands Mayor Election
Labour has dramatically won the West Midlands mayoral contest in another stunning blow for Rishi Sunak. Richard Parker narrowly defeated Tory incumbent Andy Street following a nail-biting count which went right down to the wire. In the end, he came from behind to win by just 1,508 votes following the final count in the borough of Sandwell. Street was going for a third term in office and did his best to distance himself from both the national Conservative Party and the prime minister throughout the campaign. But he was unable to defy the national swing against the Conservatives, which has seen the party lose nearly 500 councillors and a raft of Tory-run councils. On Friday night, senior Labour sources feared Keir Starmer’s stance on the Middle East had cost them the West Midlands mayoralty as disenchanted supporters backed the pro-Gaza independent candidate Akhmed Yakoob. Votes being counted ahead of the declaration for West Midlands Mayor. Anthony Devlin via Getty Images But Parker’s victory, in an area containing many vital parliamentary constituencies, will increase Labour confidence …
Labour claims victory in West Midlands mayoral election beating Andy Street | Politics | News
Labour has claimed victory in the West Midlands mayoral race in a huge blow to Rishi Sunak. Conservative incumbent Andy Street was vying for a third term against Labour rival Richard Parker in the key ballot. It is a crushing result for the Prime Minister in what was seen as a crucial test after Tory Ben Houchen stayed on as Tees Valley Mayor. The hammer blow could be fresh fodder to Conservative rebels set on ousting Mr Sunak before the general election. It has been a difficult set of local elections for the PM after voters took to the polls on Thursday. 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. But Sir Keir Starmer’s party lost some council seats to independents and George Galloway’s Workers Party of Britain, apparently over its …
Andy Street Set For Victory Despite Starmers Gaza Stance
Andy Street is on course to be re-elected mayor of the West Midlands as evidence grows that Labour is being punished for Keir Starmer’s stance on Gaza. In a much-needed local elections boost for Rishi Sunak, Street is expected to see off the challenge of his Labour rival Richard Parker when the result is announced on Saturday. Labour had high hopes of finally unseating Street, who was first elected to the role in 2017. But party sources have conceded that Parker is likely to come up short – thanks in part to a surge in support for independent candidate Akhmed Yakoob, who has run on a pro-Palestine ticket. One told HuffPost UK: “I think many of our Kashmiri supporters have gone independent in Walsall and inner city Birmingham, and now that the election is first past the post, Andy will win.” That is a reference to a change to the previous voting system for mayoral elections, which allowed voters to give their second preference to a different candidate. A Street victory would provide further evidence …
Tory Mayors Disguising Party Affiliation To Dodge Defeat
Tory mayors have distanced themselves from their party and Rishi Sunak in a desperate attempt to get re-elected. Ben Houchen and Andy Street face major fights to hang onto their jobs when voters go to the polls in Tees Valley and the West Midlands. With the Conservatives trailing well behind Labour in the national opinion polls, both men have gone out of their way to avoid admitting they are actually Tories. Street’s website has no Tory branding and is mainly coloured green rather than the traditional Conservative blue. Meanwhile, his 300-word biography contains no mention at all of the party he represents. Andy Street’s website has no Tory bradfing. Houchen’s website does describe him as “the Conservative mayor of Tees Valley”, but during his election campaign he has at times gone out of his way to play down his party affiliation. In a video posted on Facebook, he said: “I’m less interested in national politics, I am the mayor of Tees Valley. My priority is always the people of Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.” And campaign …
Tory Backlash Erupts Over MP’s Claim There Are Religious ‘No-Go Areas’ In UK
Former minister Paul Scully said people were concerned about “changing neighbourhoods” in their areas. Speaking to BBC Radio London, he said: “The point I’m trying to make is if you look at parts of Tower Hamlets, for example, where there are ‘no-go’ areas, parts of Birmingham, Sparkhill, where there are ‘no-go’ areas, mainly because of doctrine, people using, abusing in many ways, their religion because it’s not the doctrine of this land, to espouse what some of these people are saying.” But Andy Street, the Tory mayor of Birmingham, said Scully’s remarks were “nonsense slurs” about his city. “I for one am proud to lead the most diverse place in Britain,” he said. On Sky News this morning, legal migration minister Tom Pursglove also took Scully to task. He said: “I don’t recognise the depiction that was set out in Paul’s comments, and as government we take it really seriously that we need to help people integrate into society.” Asked by presenter Kay Burley if Scully should withdraw his remarks, the minister said: “It would …