all declared the new mayor of the west midlands. �* ., declared the new mayor of the west midlands. .go back to you when midlands. all right, rajini, thank- you, we will go back to you when we have more information. let’s you, we will go back to you when we have more information.— you, we will go back to you when we have more information. let's go back to sirjohn curtis _ have more information. let's go back to sirjohn curtis who _ have more information. let's go back to sirjohn curtis who has _ have more information. let's go back to sirjohn curtis who has been i to sirjohn curtis who has been waiting for us. i do want to tell you that social media has been monitoring how long you have been with us on bbc news, they say you have been up since 7:35am for us on bbc breakfast. impressed by your stammer. now, iwant bbc breakfast. impressed by your stammer. now, i want to get your reaction to some of what we are hearing about those razor—thin margins, when it comes to the vote because now rajini has confirmed what we have been hearing from labour sources as well, that this is just about a

and that is that the west midlands.nd that is that the council declared itself bankrupt not too long ago. council tax bills went through the roof for people here. it is a labour run authority. and many conservatives including andy street so that that was an example of bad management by the labour party. labour said it was an example of the conservative government not funding properly local government. another issue of course was also the conflict in gaza. we had an independent candidate here in birmingham who basically ran on a platform just about gaza, and he won around 42,000 votes here, and really, many people say that he impacted that vote. we are waiting for the result now. it could be any moment now. we will come back to this as and when it happens, but this has been a very closely fought race, and we are hearing that labour are calling it for themselves. all right, rajini, we will come back to you when you have more on that, because as you have been stressing there, these are labour sources who are claiming victo

that west midlands result sounds like it isj west midlands. nick. ave enough data to show you how we think it is going, but speaking to people on the ground, it sounds like it's extremely close. it could go either way at the moment. we are going to keep very close eyes on that one. let me just remind you of the big story so far that we have confirmed. london mayor, sadiq khan has won it comfortably. a majority there of about 270,000. all the talk that it could be close was wrong. this is exactly how it's panned out. what is interesting is that sadiq khan's vote has actually improved. i told you earlier that the lib dems and the greens were close. the greens actually came third last time, so thatis actually came third last time, so that is a slight reversal of fortune, but there is only 70 votes in it. i will correct myself there. this is the story i want to talk you through, how sadiq khan managed to improve his majority. london tends to be split. there are some parts of london, particularly outer boroughs, the ten to vote conservative. the inner bor

our focus _ people in the west midlands. our focus was — people in the west midlands.igh _ and too many people who can't get to the high streets, to work or college because _ the high streets, to work or college because of— the high streets, to work or college because of the failures of the public— because of the failures of the public transport system, and we wanted — public transport system, and we wanted to— public transport system, and we wanted to reach out to more people in this— wanted to reach out to more people in this region and the conservative candidates~ — in this region and the conservative candidates. ., in this region and the conservative candidates-— candidates. one more question i would like _ candidates. one more question i would like to _ candidates. one more question i would like to ask. _ candidates. one more question i would like to ask. a _ candidates. one more question i would like to ask. a lot - candidates. one more question i would like to ask. a lot of- candidates. one more question i| would like to ask. a lot of people are now drawing on w

police and crime commissioner. 0k. the west midlands police and crime commissioner.— the west midlandswe will— commissioner. 0k. thank you so much, sirjohn curtice. we will be _ commissioner. 0k. thank you so much, sirjohn curtice. we will be back - sirjohn curtice. we will be back with you through the course of this afternoon. for now, i will leave you with the weather with chris fawkes. but we will be back in birmingham life shortly. hello, there's been a big reversal of weather fortunes. yesterday, scotland and northern ireland had lots of sunshine and warm weather, with temperatures peaking at 23 degrees celsius. not so much today, though. it's a lot cloudier, a lot cooler. and for some, that means a drop of about nine degrees celsius between yesterday's warm sun and today's rather grey and cloudy skies. the clouds extensive then for scotland and northern ireland and is also still affecting parts of northern england and north wales. best of the sunshine further southwards today where yesterday it was cloudy and wet, feels a lot warmer in today's sunshine across these more southern

we are watching the west midlands. of all on that, i don't know if you have heard anything but what... how disappointing would it be to lose that for andy street? we disappointing would it be to lose that for andy street?— that for andy street? we saw teesside's — that for andy street? we saw teesside's mayoral— that for andy street? we saw teesside's mayoral election l that for andy street? we saw| teesside's mayoral election as that for andy street? we saw - teesside's mayoral election as well and because we have three extra elections occurring this week that effectively it meant that there was a lot more for the conservatives to lose and what is really interesting in regard to the local elections as well is that they have been a kind of area where there is so much more for them to lose. because they did so well in 2021, it was the height of the vaccine roll—out and so support for the conservative party has significantly increased. if they were to lose west midlands, it would be usually damaging when it comes to how

in other parts of northern england, wales, midlands, the south—west, some thundery and slow—moving showersgland, midlands perhaps wales. the south and south—east looking dry and warm. it may be dry in northern ireland. the theme as we head into next week is for high pressure to build which means many will turn dry and there will be sunshine and temperatures will be sunshine and temperatures will be sunshine and temperatures will be climbing as well. this is bbc news, the headlines... after heavy losses in the local elections in england the former home secretary suella braverman has told the bbc rishi sunak needs to �*change course�* if the conservative party is to avoid a political wipe—out. labour�*s called for a general election. attempts to secure a ceasefire in gaza are continuing for another day in cairo, with the two sides still unable to agree the exact terms of a truce. an israeli minister has told us his government has no option but to continue the war until hamas is eliminated. officials in brazil say more than 10,000 people have been rescued in the southern state of rio grande d

let's start with the west midlands.ge and i can perhaps give you a bit of and i can perhaps give you a bit of a sense why. this is the police and crime commissioner election in the west midlands. it is not the same race, a different one, but it is really interesting post labour winning by a considerable margin. but i want to show you the swing, the change in the vote. it was a 4.5% swing conservative to labour. that is exactly the swing that labour need for the mayor race to beat the conservatives. 4.5%. that gives is a sense of why the race in the west midlands to the mayor is on such a knife edge. i have been chatting to people in the last few minutes and it sounds like it is extraordinarily close. a couple of thousand votes in it. that is the sense we are getting. you get a sense we are getting. you get a sense of why that's when matters so much. let's step back for a second. this is the picture across england. we now have 106 of 107 councils declared. that is the picture. you can see labour with 185, a good result f

we're waiting for the results that are just counting for the mayor of the west midlands. day for sir keir starmer in the east midlands, but this seat here is one that the conservatives are really hoping they can hold onto for another term. the incumbent mayor has already served two terms here and he is well known here and is hoping he can bank on his personal popularity and throughout the campaign he has effectively distanced himself from the conservative party if you look at his campaign literature and that kind of thing. this isjust one of his campaign literature and that kind of thing. this is just one of a number of races that continue to be counted throughout saturday. i'm joined by my colleague nick eardley, in the london newsroom. nick, you have been monitoring the other races that are still under way when it comes to counting. tell us more about what we can expect. irate comes to counting. tell us more about what we can expect. we are caettin a about what we can expect. we are getting a really — about what we can expect. we are getting a really good _ about what w

, west midlands, in peaks across the country, west midlands . country, west midlands. >> do you think labour is going to win, i doubt it, because they're not winning. they're no. >> look labour won in redditch. won in big time in redditch. it looks as though it looks it looks as though it looks it looks as though all of the incumbent mayors are going to

we didn't persuade enough people across the west midlands.he future to give them confidence to go and vote on thursday. i've always said it was my campaign and we didn't get over the line. very straightforward. is rishi sunak to blame? no, this was my campaign. idid it, the famous words. i did it my way, and it was always going to be like that. and in the end it wasn't quite enough. but i'll tell you what, it was bloody close by in my language and no one would have expected that. to be clear, do you want rishi sunak to lead the conservatives into the general election? yes, there is. it would be complete madness to have another moment of introspection. khan, sadiq labour party.... labour's sadiq khan has won again in london. thank you from the bottom of my heart. thank you, london. it's the honour of my life to serve the city that i love. therefore, i declare that andy burnham is duly elected as the mayor of the greater manchester combined authority. there was another labour victory in greater manchester. it has been hard to keep greater manch

andy burnham is also re—elected to a third term as mayor of to manchester, while in the west midlandsrvative incumbent andy street hoping to hold on. the death toll in brazil reaches 56 after flooding and mudslides. the death toll in brazil reaches 56 afterflooding and mudslides. almost 70 people are missing. prison authorities are warning rising water levels are putting dams under strain and threatening the metropolis of porto alegre. in the wait is almost over for the world's largest live music event, with the eurovision song contest kicking off. —— and the weight. hello and welcome to sportsday. i'm jane dougall. back in the premier league for the first time since 2002 — an ecstatic portman road, as ipswich are promoted to the top flight. arsenal cruise past bournemouth to go four points clear at the top

now, i'm in the bbc office here in the west midlands and i saw the new mayor, richard parker.y signed the document, so he's not mayor elect. he's actually already officially the mayor and he's looking forward to getting on with the job. now, shortly after the results were announced here in birmingham, i got the first interview with him just as he came off stage. let's have a listen to a little bit about what his plans are. we had a policy platform and a set of priorities that address the needs of working people in the west midlands. our focus was how can we help those communities that have been suffering so badly from a cost of living crisis, from a lack of access to housing. and too many people can't get to the high streets, to work, to college because of the failures in the public transport system. so we had a policy programme that i think reached out and meant more to more people in this region than the conservative candidate. so i think we've got a great platform for victory in the next general election. the results over the last few days have demonstrated that. but there

and on that turn a story— west midlands and on that turn a story in— west midlands and on that turn opposed to those that— than outer london and opposed to those that vote conservatives. if you look— those that vote conservatives. if you look at _ those that vote conservatives. if you look at the in 2021, yes, it is a bit _ you look at the in 2021, yes, it is a bit higher— you look at the in 2021, yes, it is a bit higher in labour areas. it is about— a bit higher in labour areas. it is about one — a bit higher in labour areas. it is about one point. as compared with what _ about one point. as compared with what is _ about one point. as compared with what is going on with the turnout reported — what is going on with the turnout reported for the conservative areas but even _ reported for the conservative areas but even if — reported for the conservative areas but even if you take that into account — but even if you take that into account it _ but even if you take that into account it would have done no more than knock — account it would have done no more than knock a — account it woul

elsewhere in the west midlands in places like walsall— the west midlands in places like walsall we'veign over the gaza issue _ labour party resign over the gaza issue and — labour party resign over the gaza issue and an independent group standing — issue and an independent group standing on a pro—palestinian ticket in locai— standing on a pro—palestinian ticket in local elections that were counted yesterday _ in local elections that were counted yesterday and labour did not make any inroads, so it's for the labour party. _ any inroads, so it's for the labour party. it's — any inroads, so it's for the labour party, it's something whether they can get— party, it's something whether they can get it — party, it's something whether they can get it under control, but for the conservatives it's whether they can see _ the conservatives it's whether they can see off— the conservatives it's whether they can see off the challenge of reform uk. , , , , ., ~ can see off the challenge of reform uk. just briefly talking about the incumbent. _ uk. just briefly talking about the incumbent, andy _ uk.

that's london, that's west midlands.ing you up to date on the national picture across england. 106 of 107 councils declared, we will not get the other today so this is as close as we will get to the full picture on saturday. as you can see, labour up 185 seats, they are pleased, they think the places they are winning are the places they are winning are the places they are winning are the places they need to win if they are going to form a majority government at a general election, so there really please. you will notice that the lib dems are ahead of the conservatives in terms of the result from thursday. slightly more complicated than that, i will explain a second. they are cock—a—hoop, they are up 105. really bad, down 472. quite the cataclysmic 500 losses we were talking about over the past 2a hours. but not far off it, they have lostjust under half the seats they are defending. with putting out as well, 73 seats have been gained by the greens, they are really happy in this show is a bit of a breakthrough moment for t

as listens today, has been sent from the west midlands.— the west midlands. tea leaves out of the - read the tea leaves out of the general election, what do you think your party can take away from whatever happens? whichever way it goes, the fact it is so close, you are saying it could come down to a few quick... i are saying it could come down to a few quick- - -_ few quick... i think the labour party has _ few quick... i think the labour party has many _ few quick... i think the labour party has many reasons - few quick... i think the labour party has many reasons to - few quick... i think the labour party has many reasons to be| party has many reasons to be cheerful— party has many reasons to be cheerful this week. excuse me, there's— cheerful this week. excuse me, there's a — cheerful this week. excuse me, there's a fly! i apologise. but the labour— there's a fly! i apologise. but the labour party has reasons to be cheerful — labour party has reasons to be cheerful. the votes are building up in areas _ cheerful. the votes are building up in areas that we

let's turn to the west midlands. _ still quite tight. let's turn to the west midlands.have the discussion there about the result for the solihull district within the west midlands authority that the result they are for the mayoral race has no already been published. we have calculated the swing that this means from 2021. the answer is 5% from conservative to labour. the swing that labour need across the west midlands as a whole to unseat andy street is 4.5%. in other words, solihull does underline the claim that this election looks too close to call. certainly, andy street needs to be a little bit better than he did in solihull if he is going to hang on to his position. that is number one. the second thing that is no one saying, we just have one council left to declare in salford, it might be tomorrow, were not quite sure, there isjust one it might be tomorrow, were not quite sure, there is just one counsel left a declare. liberal democrats now have 520 counsellors, and the conservatives have 508, and it is now clear to us with just one counsel to go that the liberal de

labour victorious in the west midlands' _ 224082.victorious in the west midlands' mayoral - 224082. labour victorious in the west midlands' mayoral race. i 224082. labour victorious in the west midlands' mayoral race. al 224082. labour victorious in the - west midlands' mayoral race. a tiny margin in a region of 2 million people. one of the conservatives' high—profile metro mayors, andy street, toppled. the labour leader was there to celebrate. the message out of these elections — the last elections now, the last stop before we go into that general election — is the country wants change. i hope the prime minister is listening and gives the opportunity to the country to vote as a whole in a general election as soon as possible. mr street said conservatives should not respond to defeat by shifting further right, but follow his moderate policies. the famous words "i did it my way". and it was always going to be like that and, in the end, it wasn't quite enough, but i tell you what, it was bloody close — pardon my language — and no—one w

but the eye—catching result today is in the west midlands.also birmingham, and spoke to the newly—elected mayor, richard parker. these recent local elections and mayoral races in england have been seen as the last significant as the public opinion and head of the likely general election, probably to the end of this year. you could argue that there result coming out of here in birmingham for the west midlands mayor was one of the most significant events of the most significant events of the most significant events of the last few days, because the conservative incumbent andy street, who had been there for two consecutive terms, it lost here by the closest of margins. it was about 1500 votes in it. and labour's richard parker is now the mayor elect here in the west midlands. a diverse part of the uk, which takes in the huge city of birmingham. i spoke to richard parker after his victory. this talk about your priorities. your spoken about transport, putting buses into the public sector, for example. butjust talk into the public sector, for examp

labour win the mayoral contest in the west midlands, capping a bleak set of local election results forhe conservative party. negotiations continue in cairo to try and work out a deal between hamas and israel as fighting drags on in the gaza strip. plus the us is reportedly set to send fresh military aid to haiti to help its new government re—assert control over gangs. hello, i'm carl nasman. we begin in the uk where the governing conservative party has suffered a shock defeat in the west midlands, losing the mayoral election to the labour party. the contest between the conservatives�* andy street, who was seeking a third term as mayor, and labour's richard parker went right down to the wire — with a recount ordered for one area. the outcome of this particular race had been cast as pivotal for the prime minister, rishi sunak. the bbc�*s political editor chris mason reports. how are you feeling, andy? we will see. out of his hands.

, west midlands, in peaks across the country, west midlands . country, west midlands. >> doing to win, i doubt it, because they're not winning. they're no. >> look labour won in redditch. won in big time in redditch. it looks as though it looks it looks as though it looks it looks as though all of the incumbent mayors are going to get re—elected, which shows you something about the mayoral. the mayoral set up. and it shows you something about the strength of that. and it shows you okay. >> john mcternan, that's all we have time for. but thank you so much for talking through those results. really, really interesting stuff. let's get the reaction now of nigel farage. gb news. presenter of course, and honorary president of reform uk. joining us from dallas, texas this evening, nigel, i suppose on one sense, last night's results show that incumbent mayors are doing fairly well. london to one side. and we'll sort of leave off too much speculation about london, but it looks like there could be an upset there. is this the united kingdom, following this almost american experiment of

meanwhile, the labour leader keir starmer has been out meeting voters in the west midlands where he told voters that stabilising the economy would be a number one priority. here's our political correspondent helen catt. the labour leader arriving at a football club in the west midlands, here to put the boot into the tories�* economic record and to explain what a labour government would do. stability is change. it's strange to say that in 2024 but a stable economy has to be the first step of an incoming labour government, and that is what will government, and that is what we will make an absolute priority if we are privileged enough to come in to serve. it comes as a leading think tank, the ifs, urged both labour and the tories to be open about the tough choices they will face over the country's finances if elected. for rishi sunak it was a low—key visit, a cuppa with veterans in the north of england.

and i was in the west midlands just a few weeks ago with andy street for the launch of a £1.75 billionty of birmingham. but the point here, secretary of state, is that it's notjust about what happened in the last couple of days, which, in many places for you, is dire. you got hammered in the local council elections last year as well. you've lost seven by—elections under rishi sunak. and if we can show you the roll—call and show this to our viewers as well, the roll call of councils that you lost, basildon, dorset to the lib dems, north east lincolnshire, nuneaton, redditch. these are places where labour is salivating at the prospect of taking your mp5. you've been losing under rishi sunak time and again. don't you think you need to change something? look, i'm not going to pretend they weren't disappointing results, always disappointing. i was out campaigning with lots of people across the country and it's always disappointing when you lose hardworking conservatives... but the point here is, doesn't this give you evidence that you need to do something differently? and if you don't do an

there _ you look you in the west midlands. there are _ you look you in the west midlands. pour over the results to see what it might— over the results to see what it might say— over the results to see what it might say about the general election and the _ might say about the general election and the intriguing thing is to what extent— and the intriguing thing is to what extent is— and the intriguing thing is to what extent is the party brand and the national— extent is the party brand and the national trend significant and to what _ national trend significant and to what extent is, in particular here, brand _ what extent is, in particular here, brand andy— what extent is, in particular here, brand andy able to act as a counter to the _ brand andy able to act as a counter to the national trend which has moving — to the national trend which has moving away from the conservatives. let's moving away from the conservatives. let's move _ moving away from the conservatives. let's move on to the labour party. there has been some talk you that if they don't win here, and they've re

been in the west midlands?e been a pretty big hammer blow. >> well, it certainly is for the likes of andy street and the conservatives here, of course, who had two terms as mayor of the, of the west midlands. he was the first one to lead that combined authority. much of what it is today is because of how andy street has shaped it, bringing in billions of pounds worth of investment for this region , which it certainly region, which it certainly benefited from. he was very much focusing his campaign across the last few weeks on what his record was here as mayor of the west midlands, trying to step away from that national brand of conservative ism, which, you know, he knew might well damage him in the end , it wasn't enough him in the end, it wasn't enough for andy street as, of course, as richard parker and the labour party won here late last night. it was literally on a knife edge, only 0.3% of a percentage point in the vote here, and 1500 voters here. i mean, there was some criticism of labour, of course, here

streets in the west midlands . we'll also be hearing midlands.ring from eight of ten contests for police and crime commissioner. a burst water main has left around 31,000 properties without water in east sussex , causing a in east sussex, causing a drastic impact on businesses. southern water says the disruption in saint leonards on sea and parts of hastings will continue into tomorrow. the issue was first reported on thursday, forcing the company to open water bottle stations, schools, a leisure centre and a theatre in the area have all been forced to close and motorists are being warned to expect heavy traffic this bank houday expect heavy traffic this bank holiday weekend, according to the rac, around 3 million vehicles are taking to the roads today alone, an increase in day trips and short breaks could mean local routes are congested. also, train strikes between this coming tuesday and the following saturday could lead to most roads being busier. well, saturday could lead to most roads being busier . well, for roads being busier. well, for th

we are expecting the result of the mayoral contest here in the west midlands.fternoon. we don't know when exactly but what we do know is that it could be a really close result. now, the incumbent mayor, the conservative is hoping for a third term in the job and throughout the campaign, labour's richard parker has been pushing really hard. the labour party, for a long time, was really hopeful that it might take this may oral seat from the conservatives. of course, we don't know what that result will be until the county made me has concluded but we do know that it will be very close and some labour sources indicated that they think they might be closer than anything and they this to the conservatives, partly because, as harry was mentioning in his report of cert kea stammer�*s position on the ongoing conflict in and that is because one of the independent candidates for mayor here has been very, very firm in his position on the war in gaza. these use this as his platform and there are some who believe he could take votes away from the labour party and in the end t

and a nail—biter in elections in england — labour win the mayoral contest in the west midlands, cappingleak set of local election results for the conservative party. hello, i'm carl nasman. efforts are intensifying to secure a deal for the release of hostages and a ceasefire in gaza as the israel—hamas war approaches the seven—month mark. a delegation of hamas negotiators arrived in cairo. cia director william burns is also in the egyptian capital to mediate. the talks are reported to have ended for the day, with a senior hamas official telling the afp news agency there have been "no developments" but talks are expected to continue sunday. let's take a look at where things stand. the main sticking point is whether a ceasefire deal will be permanent or temporary. a hamas official says the group will not agree to a truce that does not fully end the gaza war. israel is reluctant to agree to this. israeli forces remain active in gaza. mediators have been waiting for hamas to respond to an israeli proposal to halt the fighting for a0 days and to exchange hostages for palestinian prisoners. b

, and finally let me just the west midlands, and finally let mejust quickly show the west midlands, andst quickly show you the swing that we got there, 4.6 from the conservatives to labour, enough to get them over the line. it wasn't just the west midlands, though. as we were just hearing from chris, london today as well. sadiq khan being returned for a third term, the margin there was a lot bigger, 275,000 votes in it in the end, and this is why. let me show you the swing quickly. it's a big one, 3.2% conservative to labour, and that matters because the conservatives were hoping to close the gap with labour in london, but the opposite has happened. as you can see there. across the country, across england, we have now got a pretty good picture. 106 of 107 councils have declared, and here is how it looks. labour up 185, a good result for them. the conservatives down 473, they've lost almost half of all the seats they were defending on thursday. that's a really bad result. as you can see, the lib dems on thursday's results have just overtaken them. it is worth pointing out down here as we

meanwhile, another contest to be mayor was on a knife—edge — that of mayor of the west midlands. st and a warning, there are flashing images in her report from the start. the new mayor of the west midlands. what a way to end the local elections in 2024, general election year~ _ elections in 2024, general election ear. , , elections in 2024, general election ear. , ' 12i~ elections in 2024, general election ear. ,':::~ ., , .., year. just 1508 votes in it, richard parker beat _ year. just 1508 votes in it, richard parker beat incumbent _ year. just 1508 votes in it, richard parker beat incumbent andy i year. just 1508 votes in it, richard | parker beat incumbent andy street year. just 1508 votes in it, richard i parker beat incumbent andy street in what is a huge blow to the conservatives, who suffered losses across the region.— conservatives, who suffered losses across the region. people here voted for the across the region. people here voted forthe person _ across the region. people here voted for the person and _ across the region. people here voted for the person and the _ acro

west midlands and campaigning, within the east i midlands, west midlands and in places— midlands, westy voters switchin: to labour. ., ., switching to labour. you mentioned teesside and _ switching to labour. you mentioned teesside and west _ switching to labour. you mentioned teesside and west midlands, - switching to labour. you mentioned teesside and west midlands, you i switching to labour. you mentioned i teesside and west midlands, you have already said that actually the mayoralty is there so it's a bit of an anomaly, but you have set yourself, you've been there, lots of labour politicians have been there, you have campaigned very hard in those places and from the kind of language you are giving us tonight, it sounds like you don't think you are going to make it. fit it sounds like you don't think you are going to make it.— it sounds like you don't think you are going to make it. of course, we fou~ht are going to make it. of course, we fought really _ are going to make it. of course, we fought really hard _ are going to make it. of course, we fought really hard across _ are going

but i did want to ask you about the shock results in the west midlands.ult of the weekend. actually, andy street being unseated. he was a very popular, character there, seen as the golden boy for the tories in the west midlands. but the fact that he's been unseated . and does that suggest that the tories are facing a much greater challenge than than first thought? >> you're right to concentrate on this. a couple of very interesting things about this, basically, richard parker was extremely gracious in his comments. i think it's interesting how sadiq, in his acceptance speech, didn't actually you know, congratulate the other people who had stood which is and i think obviously he's in a hurry one thing and another. but richard parker recognised that a great deal of the work that andy street had done and andy street was another non—politician politician. you know, he comes from john lewis, you know, he's very friendly with certain labour, with tory politicians. but, you know, he was a man who actually placed himself outside the tory party. he also did a grea

but i was really pleased to see that in the west midlands keir- was saying, "you know, _ we've heard as the first mayor to call for a ceasefirel here in west yorkshire, . i know that this was really important for so many and not just actually, quite frankly, _ the muslim community. many people were despairing at what they were seeing. . wanted to see that leadership, but i do think the labour- are in the right position- and david lammy has really led from the front here. how interesting, though, that she managed to slip in there. "i was one of the first mayors to call for a ceasefire." now that's true. she was. but the mayors took a different position to the national leadership. yeah, because isn't it the case, henry, that there's been a boost for incumbent mayors and also the personal politics can trump the party politics, witness houchen in teesside? this is the point of mayoralties, right? these powerful local mayors sprawling across different local authorities, combined authorities as they're called. this is why they were invented, mostly by george osborne and the david cameron g

tend to do and perform quite well and in many respects this is different was happening in the west midlandshe tees valley where you have two conservative incumbents that have quite successfully managed to create a sense of them being apolitical, really, standing up for the region and not having to go along with the party is doing nationally. that's not necessarily the case here is i don't think the conservative candidate will do that in quite the same way here as they don't have a track record to speak of. the expectation is that labour are in a very strong position and this area contains a lot of important parliamentary constituencies that will decide who ultimately wins the general election so if you focus on areas like mansfield, amber valley, these are traditional bellwether seat so very interesting contest. thank you. less talk to richard in the tees valley. what's happening? we are caettin valley. what's happening? we are getting ever _ valley. what's happening? we are getting ever close _ valley. what's happening? we are getting ever close to _ valley. what's happening? we are gettin

we are going to wait a while for the west midlands to know| while for the west midlands to know what's as rajini was just saying, there was a swing in solihull from the conservatives to labour for 5%. solihull from the conservatives to labourfor5%. labour solihull from the conservatives to labour for 5%. labour need a swing of 4.5% across the west midlands to beat andy street, so it suggest there is going to be an absolute knife edge. i've been chatting some people in the labour party who are just saying we are not sure who is going to win, it is too close to call. we are going to keep watching that one, and as soon as i have any graphics from the west midlands, i promise to tell you. what i do have are some results to talk you through. first, greater manchester. andy burnham, look at the majority there. it wasn't close. 351,000 majority for andy burnham there. interestingly, his vote is down a bit. it is down just, interestingly, his vote is down a bit. it is downjust, down interestingly, his vote is down a bit. it is down just, down ir%. interestingly, his vote is down a bit. it is d

west midlands, andy street, they think it is on a knife edge. are doing badly in their traditional shia areas but they are doing well in marginal seats. the liberal democrats are saying they will have to wait until five o'clock tomorrow before they start to see themselves in the areas where they are in contest in places like tunbridge wells. but what they are picking up is that in parliamentary battleground seats that they need to win the general election, they can see labour voters voting tactically for the lib dems.— for the lib dems. that is the olitical for the lib dems. that is the political editor _ for the lib dems. that is the political editor of _ for the lib dems. that is the | political editor of newsnight, for the lib dems. that is the - political editor of newsnight, nick watt, with his ear to the ground in hartlepool. these are the live pictures from hartlepool as the votes come in to be counted. i will bring injoe from dell to pull back in. talk to me about what will become quite a big thing tomorrow and into saturday, the project

the conservatives hope to win the best with -- west midlands - the best with —— west midlands mayoralday, another possible wave of hope in an otherwise bleak picture. but for now at least rishi sunak looks to have avoided the major rebellion he feared from his own mps. and three miles from the prime minister's house in yorkshire, look who showed up. sir keir starmer celebrating labour mayor in new york in north yorkshire where parts of the county are usually solidly tory. the villa . es are usually solidly tory. the villages in — are usually solidly tory. the villages in the _ are usually solidly tory. the villages in the towns - are usually solidly tory. tue: villages in the towns of are usually solidly tory. tte: villages in the towns of north yorkshire, people have voted for change. they voted for labour. webb, christo - her change. they voted for labour. webb, christopher paul, _ change. they voted for labour. webb, christopher paul, labor— change. they voted for labour. webb, christopher paul, labor party, - christopher paul, labor party, 10.825 — christopher paul, labor party, 1

but the eye—catching result today is in the west midlands. chris mason, bbc news, birmingham.m are now in — and find out what they tell us about the state of the parties' fortunes as we approach a general election. here's nick eardley. as you can see, it's a real knife edge. just 1,500 votes between the labour victor and andy street for the conservatives, despite the fact that more than half a million votes were cast. in terms of percentages, this is how it shakes out, 37.8 and 37.5. note the 12%, that was an independent candidate, critical of labour's policy on the war in gaza, and despite that labour did manage to just make it through. let me show you on the next slide how things have changed. the labour vote is actually down a wee bit. the conservative vote is down so much, 11%, that has allowed labour to take the west midlands, and finally let me just quickly show you the swing that we got there, 4.6 from the conservatives to labour, enough to get them over the line. it wasn't just the west midlands, though. as we were just hearing from chris, london today as well. sadiq k

we begin in the uk where the governing conservative party has suffered a shock defeat in the west midlandslosing the mayoral election to the labour party. the contest between the conservatives�* andy street, who was seeking a third term as mayor, and labour's richard parker went right down to the wire — with a recount ordered for one area. the outcome of this particular race had been cast as pivotal for the prime minister, rishi sunak. the bbc�*s political editor chris mason reports. how are you feeling, andy? we will see. out of his hands. the conservative andy street arrived here at lunchtime awaiting the verdict of voters. it was to be a long wait for mr street and his labour rival, richard parker. votes rechecked, a recount in coventry and this result in the last hour or so. the number of votes recorded for each... we've waited all day for this moment. it's happening now. the result. and i do hereby declare that richard parker... cheering. this is the most important thing i will ever do. - this week, people here voted for the person and the party. | they recognise that a labour mayor c

_ swing and we've ended in the west midlands with our new mayor, richard marka _ midlands with our new mayor, richard marka is_ midlands with our new mayor, richard marka is the _ midlands with our new mayor, richard marka is the west midlands mayor —— backpoohl— backpool.l cheering and applause "the most loved and amazing son" — the family of daniel anjorin, who was killed in a sword attack in east london, pay tribute to the m—year—old. good morning. their 22—year wait is over: ipswich town can start preparing for premier league football after clinching promotion from the championship. and is it sacrilege or sustainable? we'll look at the rise of vegan bakeries in france. and while there will be some about today, will also be some sunny spells and when the sun comes out, it is once again going to feel pretty warm. i will have all of the details very shortly. it's sunday the fifth of may. good morning to you. our main story: the conservatives have suffered a significant defeat in the west midlands after losing the region's mayoral election to labour. in the closely fought race, andy st

but let's look now at the west midlands , look now at the west midlands, because i think that's probablyst story , if you like, the biggest story, if you like, of the evening, andy street losing there by just over 1500 votes. but i thought it was very interesting, bill, to see that the independent candidate for gaza getting 43,000 votes. >> yeah. and i think that is a concern, i you know, i think the labour party's position, clear position on gaza has been the correct one. support for the state of israel horror at what happened last october, but also calling for a ceasefire now, i think there has been real misrepresentation of one interview that keir did immediately after october, and that's been weaponised by people on the far left and within some muslim communities. on the far left and within some muslim communities . and we've muslim communities. and we've got a better respond, better get across the argument that, as pat mcfadden was saying in government, it's going to be a major foreign policy priority to actually move towards a two state solution. >> yes, because people are trying t

that's andy street, who is ousted as the conservative mayor of west midlands , also our most of west midlands, also our most our most amazing daniel , the our most amazing daniel, the parents of daniel and george in a tragic , tragic story. this 14 a tragic, tragic story. this 14 year old died in a sword attack in east london. and the parents said they had lost the most loved and amazing son. daniel's favourite club, arsenal, paid tribute to him. a beautiful child and a tragic, tragic loss. okay and suella braverman in the telegraph. tomorrow's sunday telegraph. tomorrow's sunday telegraph. the tories must change or be wiped out. it's time to wake up, says braverman . time to wake up, says braverman. these results will look like a tremor next to the earthquake due on general election night. and do you want to know what her solution is? well, she says this in the paper on tax migration, the small boats and law and order. we need to demonstrate strong leadership, not managerialism, she says. make a big and bold offer on tax cuts rather than tweaking, as we saw in the budget. place a ca

but you said, in terms of the west midlands, you expect the conservatives to hold that. that has certainly been widely reported and widely anticipated. i think, to be honest, what is perhaps less widely realised is there are two stories about the west midlands to emerge today. one is the result of the mayoral contest. the other is the result of the police and crime commissioner collection. the two of them taking place in parallel. when this happened in 2021, while andy street managed to retain his post as mayor of the west midlands, the labour party won the police and crime commissioner election and this is one of the reasons why some analysts have been saying these mayoral contests are not necessarily a reliable indication of the support of the parties that the candidates are representing but also they are affected by the personal support of those candidates in the metro mayoral elections so one of the things i will be looking at later on is notjust the mayoral election contest but also the pcc contest and if we discover that labour have won the pcc contest as in 2021 t

_ swing and we've ended in the west midlands with our new mayor, richard marka _ midlands with our newidlands with our new mayor, richard marka is the west midlands mayor —— backpoohl— backpool.l cheering and applause "the most loved and amazing son" — the family of daniel anjorin, who was killed in a sword attack in east london, pay tribute to the 1a—year—old. good morning. their 22—year wait is over: ipswich town can start preparing for premier league football after clinching promotion from the championship. and is it sacrilege or sustainable? we'll look at the rise of vegan bakeries in france. and while there will be some about today, will also be some sunny spells and when the sun comes out, it is once again going to feel