Local election results LIVE — Sadiq Khan wins as London’s Mayor… as Andy Street loses in West Midlands

Tories shouldn’t abandon moderate conservatism, says Andy Street

Andy Street, who was ousted as mayor of the West Midlands in a narrow defeat to Labour, has urged the Tories to not give up on moderate conservatism.

“The thing everyone should take from Birmingham and the West Midlands tonight is this brand of moderative, inclusive, tolerant conservatism, that gets on and delivered, has come within an ace of beating the Labour party in what they considered to be their backyard – that’s the message from here tonight,” he told Sky News after his defeat.

Asked if he was worried that the Conservatives were drifting too far right, he replied: “I would definitely not advise that drift.

“The psychology here is really very straightforward isn’t it: this is the youngest, most diverse, one of the most urban places in Britain and we’ve done, many would say, extremely well over a consistent period.

“The message is clear: winning from that centre ground is what happens.”

Greens celebrate highest number of councillors

The Green Party secured a record number of elected councillors at the local elections.

The party gained 74 seats, taking its total number of councillors to 812.

The Greens also became the largest party in Bristol, but fell just short of an overall majority.

Co-leader Carla Denyer told the Guardian: “It’s really encouraging to see so many voters are giving their confidence to the Greens. It’s also a very promising sign for the general election.”

Sunak needs to own results of local election, says Braverman

Former home secretary Suella Braverman says Rishi Sunak needs to own the local election results.

Speaking to the BBC, Braverman said: "Rishi Sunak has been leading us for about 18 months, he has been making these decisions, these are consequences of those decisions. He needs to own this, and therefore he needs to fix it."

She added: "I think the problem is that our voters are on strike, they are not coming out to support us, we have seen that with turnouts and we have seen that with losing Conservative strongholds."

Asked if she regrets backing Sunak for party leadership in 2022, Braverman said: “Honestly, yes I do.”

Keir Starmer: Britain 'victim of zombie government'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer attacked Rishi Sunak and called for a general election in today's Observer, following the local election results.

Starmer wrote: "Tragically, Britain is now the victim of a zombie government, stuck in purgatory with a prime minister who won't call an election he fears he'll lose, but can't give this country the change it deserves. 

"Dragging this out longer will only cause more damage, decline and drift."

Taxpayers facing £150k bill to re-cover MPs’ green benches

Taxpayers are facing a £150,000 bill to cover the MPs’ green benches at the House of Commons.

Officials are seeking a supplier of “leather hides” to “repair and re-upholster” seat-cushions and backrests.

The contract for the work in the historic chamber, which is out to tender, would start next month and last five years.

Labour wins 10 of 11 mayoral races

A string of Labour wins in regional mayor races added to the Tories' dismal election results.

Labour won 10 of the 11 mayoral contests: the East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Greater London, Liverpool City Region, the North East, Salford, South Yorkshire, the West Midlands, West Yorkshire, and York and North Yorkshire.

The Conservative Party's only success came at Tees Valley, with Ben Houchen set to serve a third consecutive term.

Reform Party insiders: Farage must stop ‘shilly-shallying around’

Nigel Farage should announce his political comeback or stop teasing, frustrated Reform Party colleagues say.

Nigel has spent months hinting that he will make a political comeback and help lead Reform at the next election. He is understood to be considering running to be the MP for Clacton in Essex.

But Reform Party insiders are getting fed up with his constant teasing and say he has just weeks to decide if he wants to stand or not.

Tory rebels say PM is safe - for now

Tory plotters say they would have been on a “kamikaze mission” if they carried on their war on Rishi Sunak.

Rebels admitted that Conservative MPs were not willing to “pull the trigger” despite grim local election results.

They threw in the towel after Ben Houchen was reelected the Tees Valley Mayor in a crucial victory for the Tories.

A rebel source told The Sun on Sunday: “It would have been a kamikaze mission to carry on after six months of fighting.

“The results gave the PM just enough breathing space and meant the MPs weren’t willing to pull the trigger.

“Now it’s for Rishi and his team to own the election result - good luck with that.”

Rishi Sunak 'up for the fight'

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden insists Rishi Sunak is the man to lead the Tory offensive against Labour, despite a dire few days of results for the party.

“The Prime Minister is full of energy for the weeks and months ahead," Dowden told The Sun on Sunday.

"Whether it’s gearing up for the Nato summit in July talking about defence or whether it’s tackling challenges around extremism — the Prime Minister is up for the fight.

“Also, what I’ve taken from it is that Starmer can’t seal the deal.”

Andy Street ousted in knife-edge result

Andy Street lost the race to be re-elected West Midlands mayor by about just 1,000 votes out of a total population of around three million.

Labour’s Richard Parker scraped home with 225,590 votes to 224,082 for Mr Street.

The dramatic result came after recounts and amid scenes of chaos.

Mr Street was originally estimated to have lost by a few thousand votes, but after a tense series of recounts, extra votes were found for him.

Sources said counters who had clocked off for the night had to be summoned back from the pub to help as the vote went long.

Grim weekend for the Tories

The Conservative Party lost more than 470 council seats in a grim weekend for the Tories.

They now have fewer councillors than the Lib Dems for the first time in 30 years.

A new Opinium poll puts Labour 16 points ahead of the Tories.

When did Sadiq Khan become the Mayor of London?

Sadiq Khan made history in 2016 when he was elected London's first Muslim mayor - the city where he was born and raised, after his parents moved to London from Pakistan in the 1960s.

As the mayor of London Khan has responsibilities covering policing, transport, housing, planning, economic development, arts, culture and the environment. 

Prior to this, between 2005 and 2016, he was MP for Tooting in South London, a role he quit when becoming mayor.

In the 2016 mayoral elections Khan won the largest number of votes in one election of any politician in British history.

He was once again re-elected for a second term as mayor in May 2021, defeating the Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey.

Tory vote collapsing

The Sun's Chief Political Correspondent Jack Elsom writes that the Tory vote is collapsing across the country.

"However you spin it, the local elections have been inescapably bad for Rishi Sunak," Elsom said.

"Across the country the Tory vote is collapsing - from the Red Wall penetrated by Boris Johnson in 2019, to the party’s traditional southern fortresses.

"The task for Mr Sunak now is to convince disillusioned Tories flirting with Nigel Farage’s insurgents that it’s a straight-up him vs Sir Keir at the General Election.

"That job will be made easier if can prove his flagship Rwanda plan works and deliver another round of tax cuts.

"But the clock is ticking."

Rachel Reeves congratulates Richard Parker

Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves has congratulated the new West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Congratulations @RichParkerLab for running an incredible campaign and securing an amazing victory," Reeves .

"The West Midlands has voted for change."

Parker appears alongside Starmer after winning West Midlands battle

Labour's Richard Parker appeared alongside Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer after winning the West Midlands mayoral race. 

Tory Mayor Andy Street was ousted in another major blow to the Tories.

"It's time for a fresh start ... we start on Monday," Mr Parker said.

Street says it was an 'honour' to serve as Mayor

Andy Street lost to Labour's Richard Parker in the West Midlands mayoral race by a margin of 1,508 votes.

In a short speech, Mr Street said it had been his "honour" to serve as mayor for the last seven years, telling his team "you will be back".

Mr Street thanked his fellow candidates, including Mr Parker, for a "very courteous campaign", wishing his rival "all strength and wisdom as he takes on this role".

Khan enjoying his third victory

London mayor Sadiq Khan has been speaking to the media after winning re-election.

He has won an historic third term - the first time the feat has been achieved in London.

When asked if this will be his final term, he said: "Let's wait and see."

Khan will serve all Londoners, ally says

An ally of Sadiq Khan has said the Mayor of London will serve all Londoners.

They added he was “deeply humbled and grateful” having won a third term at City Hall.

The ally said: “This is the first time in the history of the London mayoralty that an incumbent has increased their margin of victory and seen a swing towards them.

“This is the biggest ever margin of victory in a mayoral election. It’s a vote for building more council homes, delivering free school meals and a greener London.

“Londoners have clearly rejected the overwhelmingly negative and divisive campaign run by the Tories. Labour’s positive campaign resonated with Londoners, focusing on Sadiq’s cost-of -living offer of universal free school meals and keeping fares low, as well as his world-leading green action.

“And this result gives Sadiq the mandate to deliver the bold pledges he campaigned on to build a fairer, safer and greener London for everyone.

“He’s deeply humbled and grateful that 1,088,225 Londoners lent him their vote and vows to deliver for every single Londoner - whoever they voted for.”

Rishi sends message to Labour

Rishi Sunak has made a brief appearance speaking to supporters following Ben Houchen being re-elected as Teesside mayor.

The PM said: "I have a message to the Labour party - they know that they have to win here in order to win at the general elections - they assume that Tees Valley would stroll back to them but it didn't. People knew that they couldn't be taken for granted.

"They stuck with you in this election, and I know come the general election they ware going to stick with us too."

Ben Houchen on 'really humbling' election win

Speaking following his mayoral election win in Tees Valley, Ben Houchen said: "Let's keep pushing for a better Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool, let's deliver more jobs, more investment.

"And again I just want to thank everybody. It's a really humbling experience.

"This has been a very difficult few months, it has been a really hard campaign, there has been a lot of spotlight on this election which brings a level of intensity - but having Rachel as an absolute rock by my side, I absolutely could not do without her."

West Yorkshire re-elects Labour Mayor

Tracy Brabin was re-elected as the Mayor of West Yorkshire.

She was returned with 275,430 votes while the Tory challenger Arnold Craven came second with 82,757 votes.

Ms Brabin was first elected in 2021.

Conservative MP hails 'biggest comeback since Lazarus' in Harlow

The Conservatives have denied Labour a majority in Harlow, a feat described as the "biggest comeback since Lazarus" by the local Tory MP.

Taking to X, Robert Halfon wrote: "Biggest comeback since Lazarus.

"Labour predicted landslide in Harlow with 2 visits from Starmer - but Harlow Compassionate Conservatives retained control of

"@HarlowCouncil by relentlessly focusing on freezing council tax, regeneration & housing."

Who stood for London mayor?

Sadiq Khan was voted in as London Mayor for a third term, beating Tory rival Susan Hall by a whopping 275,828 votes.

Here were the names that stood for London mayor:

• Femy Amin – Animal Welfare Party
• Count Binface
• Rob Blackie – Liberal Democrats
• Natalie Campbell – Independent
• Howard Cox – Reform UK
• Amy Gallagher – Social Democratic Party
• Zoë Garbett – Green Party
• Tarun Ghulati – Independent
• Susan Hall – Conservative Party
• Sadiq Khan – Labour Party

Burnham says he’ll be a mayor for everybody

Andy Burnham has said he will be a mayor for everybody after being re-elected to represent Greater Manchester for the third time.

He told Sky: “I feel a little overwhelmed and I’ll take a little while to come to terms with it, but it is just a great feeling and I’d just like to thank everyone who voted for me. And for those who haven’t I’ll work for everybody in the city region.

“Anybody will tell you I’m not the best of candidates, I don’t take anything for granted, probably unnecessarily worrying at times.

“These are tough times. It’s hard out there, people are really struggling and politicians really need to listen to what they’ve heard on the doorstep.

“The country needs pretty profound change as far as I’m concerned and we need now to get on with delivering it.”

Andy Burnham calls for ‘profound change’

Andy Burnham has been re-elected for a third term as the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

In his acceptance speech, he spoke of the need for “profound changes” nationally.

He said: “The Westminster one-size-fits-all approach to policy hasn’t worked,” he said. “If you have an education system overly focused on the university route, you will leave some young people growing up without hope.

“If you have a benefits system overly focused on sanctions rather than support you will end up with a growing mental health crisis. And if housing policy is exclusively focused on promoting homeownership, you will leave millions trapped in a housing crisis.

“Greater Manchester is ready to break out of this. Devolution in England is working and these elections show voters are buying into it and it is time to go much further.”