Conservatives hold Tees Valley Mayor role with re-election of Ben Houchen
Conservative Ben Houchen has been re-elected as Tees Valley Mayor, but with a reduced majority over Labour.
Last updated 3rd May 2024
Conservative Ben Houchen has been re-elected as Tees Valley Mayor, but with a reduced majority over Labour.
Lord Houchen secured almost 82,000 votes compared to the 63,000 votes received by Labour's Chris McEwan, winning a third term as mayor.
Labour had already conceded defeat in the contest, but said the party had secured a large enough swing to win every parliamentary seat in the region and claimed Lord Houchen had run his campaign as a "pseudo-independent".
Returning officers say there was a total voter turn-out of 30.80%
Mr Houchen denied that he had shied away from campaigning as a Conservative or mentioning Mr Sunak in his campaign literature during the Tees Valley mayoral contest.
He told Sky News: "We absolutely don't shy away from that at all, and Rishi's been up during the campaign and we have always said Rishi's been a great friend to the people of Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool."
He added that the Prime Minister had been "a huge champion for this area".
Ben Houchen said after being re-elected as Tees Valley mayor: "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."
Lord Houchen thanked his Labour and Lib Dem opponents who he said had "both run very strong campaigns".
He also offered a "very personal thanks to my wife Rachel and my new baby Hannah."
He said: "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."
He added: "Enjoy the rest of your day and I'm looking forward to some sleep. All the best."
Labour said the result in the Tees Valley should be "a major wake-up call" for the Prime Minister.
A party spokesperson said: "This swing towards Labour in Tees Valley puts Labour on track to win every single seat in the area in a general election.
"The Conservatives should be extremely worried that their candidate had to run as an independent to win.
"If Rishi Sunak doesn't take this result as a major wake-up call he is in denial."
Ben Houchen claimed he "forgot" his blue Conservative rosette when asked why he had not worn one to the mayoral election count, as he denied "trying to pretend" he was not a Tory.
The re-elected Tees Valley mayor said: "I have done at previous elections and the honest answer is I didn't have one and I forgot it. But I've got my blue socks on and my blue tie on...
"The idea that we are trying to pretend I'm not Conservative, I mean people know round here that I'm a Conservative, but thankfully what we've seen today is they also know that I'm a Teessider, and I'll put Teesside first, I'll put local people first and I'll do what's best for the local area."
Asked whether he could have borrowed a blue rosette from someone else, he said: "No, we did rumble around in some bags and we were hoping to find one but we couldn't find one... we were too busy focused on the result."
Re-elected Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said he would "absolutely" be able to work with Sir Keir Starmer if the Labour leader becomes prime minister.
Lord Houchen said the leader had "come out and said he's going to double down on devolution" which would give him more autonomy to deliver for local people.
The mayor said "Rishi's been a huge supporter of Teesside over the last few years" and insisted the campaign had been a "shared effort" despite commentators suggesting he had tried to distance himself from the party brand.
"We wouldn't have been able to deliver all these things if it weren't for him so absolutely it's a shared effort, but again I'll work with anybody who will help me deliver for local people and Rishi is doing just that," he told Sky News.
Asked whether he could work with Sir Keir as PM, he said: "Absolutely. Keir Starmer's come out and said he's going to double down on devolution, which is a huge change, a 180 from what Labour did in 2019 when they were talking about abolishing mayors, now Keir Starmer's saying he's going to give us more money and more powers.
"Which gives me more autonomy to get on and do what I do best which is deliver for local people."