Voters react to shock West Midlands mayoral result

Man, the West Midland

mayoral

race couldn't have been closer - a huge symbolic victory for workers won by the slimmest of margins the morning after the night before another ongoing race in Birmingham between the runners. Pete from wol Hampton told me why he voted for labor. partly protest against austerity and politically because of what has happened in recent years. I think the other reason is that it's time for a change. Do you think it's time for a general election? I think it's absolutely over the top if there's anything for Rishi Sunak, listen. what people are saying um there is movement in the street people are ready for a general election I don't think I can continue now just do it just call him and do it who did you vote for in the last

mayoral

ty?

Andy St election and who you voted for this time. This time I stayed, so you didn't want to vote Conservative this time, but you didn't dare vote Labour. You know, you look at k arm, what is he going to do? brings, there's nothing really concrete about him, Rishi Sunak again, it's a bit of a decline, so it's who you have, who you vote for and, despite coming out on top, Labour's position on the war in Gaza cost them some support, former Labor voter Hassan did not. We didn't back them this time in the same way that the Labor Party leaders ignored the concerns of many people, progressive Muslims in particular, and I think they punished the label for that and that's why the

result

is so close, but the victory here in the West Midlands The jobs stimulus puts them in a position to win the general election, but there is still a lot of work to do and if we do it I am confident we can deliver the change the country needs.

Andy Street has been Conservative mayor here in the West Midlands for seven years he is well known and ran a campaign in which he barely mentioned the Conservative party and that even he could not change the national course is certainly a blow to the Conservatives despite lose overall Andy Street won more votes here in Dudley than Labour. This city will be a key battleground in the general elections. The former mayor gave this warning to those in his party urging a shift to the right, so the message is clear. Winning from that Center field is what happens.

Did you vote for Andy Street? You voted for him in the past, uh, yeah, but Dudley's John, who's usually a conservative, but abandoned them this time, isn't sure about moving further to the right, which makes the world more divisive, makes our society more divisive, it makes people, um, and you polarize politics. and I think it's a dangerous place to be, but ultimately there are a lot of Conservative

voters

who won't vote Conservative right now because it's too centrist on the part of the

voters

here, the message to both major parties is that it won't. . It will be an easy road to victory in the run-up to the general election Becky Johnson Sky News Birmingham oh