Defeat could have spurred Conservative rebels to move against prime minister
One of the Conservative party’s highest profile metro mayors, Ben Houchen, has won Tees Valley, giving Rishi Sunak a potential political lifeline.
Houchen was elected with a much reduced majority. He won 81,930 votes against 63,141 for Labour and 7,679 for the Liberal Democrats. The turnout was 30%. His previous majority was 76,323 votes.
