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Labour celebrates West Midlands mayor win - BBC News Labour celebrates West Midlands mayor win - BBC News
(about 1 hour later)
Chris Mason Hello and welcome, as we re-start our live coverage of the fallout from the local elections.
Political editor, reporting from Birmingham Yesterday, Labour added to its winning streak with a surprise victory in the West Midlands mayoral contest.
What a moment. What jeopardy. After hours of delay and a full recount in Coventry, Labour's Richard Parker was announced as the winner, beating incumbent Conservative candidate Andy Street by a mere 1,500 votes.
Never let anyone tell you your vote doesn't count. Today we'll continue to look at the reaction from those elections, with Laura Kuenssberg taking up the baton from 9:00. She'll be interviewing Labour's national campaign coordinator Pat McFadden and Transport Secretary Mark Harper on her Sunday show.
This is a region of millions and millions. So stick with us while we bring you all the latest reaction and analysis.
With a gap between the Conservatives and Labour vanishingly small.
Here in Birmingham's International Convention Centre, the tension palpable.
The power, so often held by politicians, held by the people.
The result was originally anticipated at 2:30pm. But that time came and went. So too did 3:30pm.
Then news of what are known as "bundle checks" - where bundles of counted votes are checked again. And then news of a full recount in Coventry.
Conservative and Labour sources reckoned there were around just 2,000 votes in it - across the entire region.
Just after 8pm, Labour claimed victory - but we awaited the official result in Sandwell.
And then it came.
A Labour victory.
We shouldn't be surprised.
The size of the swing to Labour in these elections elsewhere and their consistent national opinion poll ratings means they ought to be winning a race like this.
It actually tells us something we already knew about Andy Street's capacity to outperform his party that it was so close.
He is a proud Conservative, but wears his affiliation lightly, and he came mighty close.
But Tories also talked up the prospect of him winning and so his failure to do so deepens the wounds of this week for Rishi Sunak.
Keir Starmer wears a broader smile tonight.
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