The local elections have given us the clearest demonstration yet of how UK politics is being realigned. The Ukip vote has collapsed and is moving in large numbers to the Tories. Combine this with the erosion of the Labour vote under Jeremy Corbyn, and places where you never thought the Tories would win are turning blue putting the Tories on course for a general election landslide. Who’d have predicted that the first winner of the Tees Valley mayoralty would be a Tory?
Almost as jaw-dropping was Andy Street’s victory for the Tories in the West Midlands, where Labour have 21 out of 28 parliamentary seats. What so excites the Tories about Street’s win is that they think that in office, he’ll be able to show what the Tories can do for the region. Certainly, the former John Lewis boss won’t have any trouble getting things out of central government—both the Prime Minister and her Birmingham born chief of staff Nick Timothy were keen for him to run and he has a close relationship with the Business Secretary Greg Clark.
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