Tory’s broadside at grandstanding Labour mayors
TORY victories in traditional Labour areas have shown voters how politicians can get things done rather than grandstanding on national issues, says Midlands mayor Andy Street.
Mr Street has become the poster boy for successful devolved government, after four years in which he has transformed Birmingham region’s economy and ended decades-long logjams on major projects and investment.
But he admits he is in the fight of his life to hold on to the mayoralty, with the West Midlands one of the most unpredictable of the elections.
Speaking in Walsall he said he hoped his legacy going into the election was proof to people in the region that having a mayor does work for them.
He contrasted his approach Labour mayors like Andy Burnham in Manchester and Sadiq Khan in London.
He said: “We [Conservatives] are driven by serving our communities and don’t sound off about national politics the way Labour mayors do. They are using the mayoralties more as a platform for national politics.”
Mr Street’s successes include getting a Metro extension to Dudley, which had been talked about for 25 years, just six months into office. And he
to managed to end 16 years of uncertainty by getting the redevelopment of the old Longbridge car plant agreed.
The Department for Communities and Local Government announced it was partly relocating to Wolverhampton while the Department for Transport is opening offices in Birmingham. A new HQ for US bank Goldman Sachs is also opening in Birmingham, the BBC has announced investment in the West Midlands, and Coventry has been handed £135million for the first all-electric bus fleet. Meanwhile, 12,000 jobs have been created working on HS2 with another 7,000 due to follow.
He also opened the innovative Institute for Brownfield Development to help push a housing boom. But he insists his work is far from done, with plans to create 100,000 jobs in two years as part of the Covid recovery plan. He said: “The levelling up agenda was our agenda before the words levelling up were even used. The crucial point is to have a single person to do a deal with government and that is what has led these things to happen. Regional mayors do work.” He added: “Of course we all know Rishi and Boris will be around for a good few years.
“So having a Conservative mayor doing deals with government in a business-like way has brought investment into the region and that is what levelling up is about.”
Despite a poll giving him a ninepoint lead over former Labourtreasury minister Liam Byrne, Mr Street takes nothing for granted.
He said: “The best thing that can be said is there is two weeks to go. The elections in thewest Midlands are very, very close. We will just say it is too close to call.
“We have got a good story, a great united team. The vaccinations story is
‘We deliver for our communities’
giving the Conservative brand a lift, but nobody predicts elections in the West Midlands.”
He describes himself as one of the original breakers down of the Labour red wall when he won in 2017.
“That was the breakthrough,” he said. “In 2005 we had one MP in the Black Country and we won 10 of the 13 seats in the last general election. It’s been a big swing.
“A big part of it is people have seen Conservative MPS, councillors and mayors deliver for their communities, whereas Labour took it for granted for too long.that is why in what was a traditional Labour heartland we really have been able to make vast progress.”