In the upcoming Thursday local elections in England, critical for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's tenure, the mayoral races for Tees Valley and West Midlands are highly contested. Ben Houchen and Andy Street, the incumbent Tory mayors, face tight races with 1,000 council seats also at stake. Both mayors have enlisted the support of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, despite generally distancing themselves from the broader Conservative Party. Houchen previously won his position by just 2,000 votes. Street has circulated a letter endorsed by Johnson, emphasizing local issues over the national government's performance. Sunak, acknowledging the long odds, rallied the Conservative Party in a pre-election speech for a significant political comeback.
England goes to the polls in local elections crucial for Rishi Sunak’s immediate future https://t.co/WtpZCmrmpx
Conservative Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen is bidding for a third term in tomorrow's elections. Speaking to residents, what's clear is that the result will not paint an accurate picture of sentiment towards the party. It's more personal. https://t.co/OXBoZ9KpjV
The last time Ben Houchen ran to be mayor of Tees Valley, in northeast England, he won by a landslide. Now, as voters in England prepare for Thursday’s local elections, he faces a close race, partly thanks to the troubles of Britain’s Conservative Party. https://t.co/AkbO1H0xRJ
Andy Street and Ben Houchen turn to Boris Johnson in mayoral election run-in - Street has sent out a letter to voters in the West Midlands in which Johnson lavishes him with praise and dismisses the Tories’ record in Westminster. Story from @kiranstacey https://t.co/2l5Fyg1pmE
Ben Houchen, a regional mayor in the north of England, faces a close re-election race, partly thanks to the broader troubles of Britain’s Conservative Party. He won his last contest with almost 73 percent of the vote. https://t.co/zfRieHwFfp
Andy Street and Ben Houchen turn to Boris Johnson in mayoral election run-in https://t.co/71rTh0QDuG
Andy Street and Ben Houchen have all but disavowed the Tories in their election campaigns. But it turns out there is one senior Tory they do want to be associated with…. (No, it’s not Sunak) https://t.co/BOnql09a25
👀 Boris Johnson writes letter backing Andy Street saying: ‘Forget about the government. Forget about Westminster. The election is about the next four years in the West Midlands’ Story by @SamCoatesSky https://t.co/lIQHVFCZ0y
🚨 NEW: West Midlands Tory Mayor Andy Street has brought in Boris Johnson to help with his re-election campaign [@SamCoatesSky] https://t.co/Ktkda6UwsD
Exclusive: Andy Streets brings in Boris Johnson at final stage of his campaign We’ve obtained a letter to WM voters from the ex PM saying “forget about the government” Story: https://t.co/uDqkR4IPRU
Tory high command has been focusing journalists' attention for the local elections on two crunch mayor votes, Andy Street and Ben Houchen. Philip Johnston in today's Telegraph wonders whether it's a copycat strategy of how Maggie's team successfully spun the 1990 local losses. https://t.co/uAhHXUaB4z
Andy Street and Ben Houchen are battling to hold on to their mayoral seats. Rishi Sunak's future may depend on them. https://t.co/QLv6KavtbU
Mayoral races could determine if Rishi Sunak sinks or swims https://t.co/pVq11AqBtd
Rishi Sunak urged Conservative Party faithful in a pre-election speech to take part in “the greatest comeback in political history,” a tacit admission of the long odds the prime minister faces in local votes across England this week https://t.co/oqePTFTuxa
Ben Houchen won Teesside 1st time round by just 2,000 votes out of almost 1/2 million voters Teesside is on a knife edge - don’t let Labour take the whole region back to square one Vote for @BenHouchen on Thursday https://t.co/5i4uxp8zas
Can Rishi Sunak survive the 2024 local elections? Three scenarios explained With two of the Tories’ most prominent mayors in desperately tight races, plus 1,000 council seats at stake, it is a critical moment for the PM. We unpack the possibilities ⬇️ https://t.co/QxpDvj36N9
Glimmer of hope for Rishi Sunak as polls show Tory mayors in Tees Valley and West Mids could cling on in Thursday's local elections https://t.co/weHEVj3MEy https://t.co/sEiVNAnwfQ
🗳 Ben Houchen’s mayoralty is the one loss that Tory MPs considering their Prime Minister’s future have said they will not be able to stomach 🔎 Big Read by @REWearmouth 🔗 https://t.co/KBynPbkcdJ https://t.co/8Hm6rOIKGg