Ben Houchen has won the Tees Valley mayoral election despite his vote share taking a dramatic hit.
The incumbent mayor took 53.6% of the vote – a 19% drop in vote share compared to 2021.
Mr Houchen was more than 12 percentage points clear of his rival, Labour's Chris McEwan.
The re-election of Mr Houchen is ‘the first silver lining in these elections’ for the Conservatives, according to election expert Sir John Curtice.
