Should the Tories take comfort from Houchen’s victory?

Rishi Sunak can breathe a sigh of relief. Ben Houchen, the so-called ‘patron saint of the red wall’, has won a third term as Tees Valley mayor. Houchen secured 53.6 per cent of the vote with Labour in second place with 41.3 per cent and the Liberal Democrats in third place on five per cent. Now given that Houchen won over 70 per cent of the vote the last time it was contested in 2021 – making him for a time the most popular politician in the country – this is a sizeable reduction in his vote. However, he has still won comfortably, despite some polls in advance suggesting it was neck-and-neck between the Tories and Labour.

So, does Houchen’s victory offer any hope to the Tories? In terms of party management, it is important.