Labour’s shock victory in the West Midlands mayoral election was a “phenomenal result” which was “beyond our expectations”, Sir Keir Starmer said, as the Conservatives were trounced in the local elections.
Tory candidate Andy Street had hoped to cling on in the West Midlands, but Labour challenger Richard Parker beat him with a majority of just 1,508 votes.
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.
“This phenomenal result was beyond our expectations,” Sir Keir said.
“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.”
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.
Who is the new mayor for the West Midlands?
Labour’s West Midlands mayor, Richard Parker, is originally from Bristol and was raised by a dock worker and school secretary.
He left school at 16 and went straight into work at a local port authority.
He went on to get a degree in economics before becoming a public finance accountant and joining the professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 1989.
In an interview with BirminghamLive earlier this year, he claimed he never really wanted to be an accountant and said: “People from backgrounds like me will understand this but what I wanted more than being an accountant was the security of a professional qualification. I felt it would give me some control.”
He eventually worked his way up to become a partner at PwC in 2006 and the company’s lead on housing and communities.
He has been a Labour Party member for 35 years and managed PwC’s relationship with the party’s frontbench between 2010 and 2015.
While at PwC, he worked with council leaders to set up the West Midlands Combined Authority and helped negotiate the first devolution deal for the region.
He left PwC in 2016 to establish his own management consultancy, RP Strategy, which works with SMEs and social enterprising on initiatives such as green investment, housing and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
He has lived in the West Midlands since 1985.
In April 2023, he was selected as Labour’s candidate for West Midlands mayor over Birmingham City councillor Nicky Brennan.
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