Ben Houchen wins Tees Valley mayoral election offering Rishi Sunak a lifeline

Ben Houchen, who is a prominent metro mayor from the Conservative party, has emerged victorious in the Tees Valley region. This win could prove to be a saving grace for Rishi Sunak's political career.

Houchen was chosen as the winner, but his majority was a lot smaller this time around. He received 81,930 votes, while Labour got 63,141 and Liberal Democrats got 7,679. Only 30% of eligible voters participated. In the previous election, Houchen had a higher majority of 76,323 votes.

Houchen defied the prevalent opposition towards the Conservative party by securing a victory for the third time in a territory that was previously known for its unwavering support for the Labour party.

The election for the mayor is highly anticipated and has been closely monitored among all the local elections on Thursday.

Advocates have foreseen that the mayoral outcomes in Tees Valley and the West Midlands, unveiled this Saturday, will determine the course of UK politics for the remainder of 2024.

If Houchen had lost, it could have motivated members of the Conservative Party to oppose their leader.

Houchen's win provides a hopeful glimpse for the Prime Minister and his allies. They can assert that the Conservative party can secure more seats with a clear message, as long as they have adequate time to deliver it.

Some people argue that Houchen's triumph is attributed to his influential personal reputation and sustained favor among local communities. He achieved an astounding 73% of the votes in 2021, and advocates assert that voters who supported him during the recent election were doing so because of his name and not merely due to his political party's affiliation as a Conservative.

Houchen's good fortune continued due to the absence of a Reform candidate providing support.

The Labour representative, Chris McEwan, who used to be a NHS administrator and held the position of deputy leader in Darlington council, received some assistance when the Green candidate, Sally Bunce, dropped out. Bunce explained that she didn't want to divide the vote against Houchen.

The mayor of Tees Valley speaks for a population of 670,000 residing in five regional authorities which include Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Darlington, Stockton-on-Tees, and Hartlepool.

Additional information will be available shortly.