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.

While there were reports that Labour were moving resources from Tees Valley to other areas, it’s notable that Keir Starmer visited the area twice. His top team, including Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves, also paid visits. This is a scalp they would have liked to have claimed. However, a Labour spokesperson argues that the swing suggests Starmer’s party is on track to win the constituencies in the area in the general election: ‘This swing towards Labour in Tees Valley puts labour on track to win every single seat in the area in a general election. The Conservatives should be extremely worried that their candidate had to run as an independent to win.’

So, does Houchen’s victory offer any hope to the Tories? In terms of party management, it is important. Sunak now has some positive news to point to along with the fact that Labour failed to take control of Harlow council. He could also have more good news if the Labour briefings coming out of Birmingham are correct. Local Labour sources are claiming that Tory candidate Andy Street could be re-elected as the West Midlands metro mayor – blaming Starmer’s Israel-Palestine position for splitting the vote on the left.

Both Houchen and Street have run on their personal reputations – at times even criticising the general Tory brand. Houchen is popular locally for his introduction of an airport and work on the local steel industry, even if some Tories in Westminster snipe that this big state conservatism amounts to pork barrel politics. However, in Houchen’s case at least, he did welcome Sunak on a campaign visit, which suggests the Prime Minister isn’t seen as so toxic as to be banned from the area. The question now is whether Sunak and his team can get MPs to focus on the mayoralties rather than the national swing. The former is a much better story the Tories than the latter.