Andy Street promises to help region bounce back after West Midlands Mayor win
Andy Street will serve a second term as West Midlands Mayor after comfortably holding off the challenge of Labour.
The former John Lewis boss won on second preference ballots after falling just short of the 50 per cent vote required to claim a first round victory.
The Conservative received 314,669 votes over the two rounds, which put him 47,043 ahead of Labour's Liam Byrne after the run-off and saw him increase his vote share from 50.4 per cent in 2017 to 54 per cent this year.
Steve Caudwell of the Green Party came third with 35,559 votes, while Lib Dem Jenny Wilkinson was fourth on 21,836 and Reform UK's Pete Durnell brought up the rear on 13,568.
Following his victory, Mr Street said he was committed to making a fast start on spearheading the region's post-pandemic recovery.
He said: "We've got no time to waste in addressing some of the underlying issues that have been exposed by Covid.
"But equally, there is absolutely no question that this place will bounce back strongly and that we will create what I call a dynamic, meritocratic, and of course inclusive society."
Mr Byrne said the result was "a bitter blow".
