Bookies indicate Labour’s Richard Parker is odds on to oust West Midlands Mayor Andy Street

As the race to become the West Midlands Mayor reaches its final hurdle, bookmakers' odds indicate one candidate is odds on. And it looks like it could be an upset for incumbent mayor, Andy Street.

Labour’s Richard Parker is the favourite to oust Conservative mayor, Andy Street, who has been in the role since 2017. Odds from a number of bookmakers suggest the mayoral role will turn from blue to red with seven bookies having the Labour challenger as the frontrunner a day before electors go to the polls on Thursday, May 2.

On betting exchange Betfair, punters have Richard Parker as the 8/11 favourite, a 58 per cent chance at the time of going to press, while Andy Street is 11/10, slight odds against and a 47 per cent chance. Elsewhere Star Sports also has Parker as the 8/11 favourite, while four more - Sky Bet, William Hill, Coral and Ladbrokes - all have Parker as the 4/6 chance, with Betfred rating him even more of a favourite at 4/7 – according to betting comparison site Oddschecker.

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Street can be backed at the best odds of 5/4 at Betfred, evens at Star Sport and along with Betfair, Sky Bet, William Hill, Coral and Ladbrokes all rate Andy Street at 11/10, according to Oddschecker.

Those odds are contrary to the latest YouGov opinion poll which has Street at 41 per cent and Parker at 39 per cent. Outside of those two, Elaine Williams for Reform UK is a 50/1 chance, Siobhan Harper-Nunes, Green Party – 66/1 with Sunny Kirk for the Liberal Democrats and Akhmed Yakoob, independent, were both 200/1 shots.

Spokesperson for Betfair, Sam Rosbottom, said: “The momentum of change is well and truly in full force as Betfair Exchange punters seem to be backing Labour’s Richard Parker at 8/11 [58 per cent] compared to the Tories candidate Andy Street at 11/10 [47 per cent] who has won the last two previous elections.”

“According to the Betfair punters, this could well be an indication of things to come as we head into a pivotal General Election with odds of a Labour majority government being placed at 1/7 or 87 per cent, whilst Sir Keir Starmer looks destined to become the first Labour PM since Gordon Brown in 2010 with odds at 1/5 or 83 per cent.

“It may well be that Sunak's political fate hangs on the May 2 local elections, where the Conservatives are defending 985 council seats. Betfair Exchange punters are betting on a loss of 500 or more seats, at 1/2. That would signal a bad night for Sunak - but not a total wipeout. The odds of 750 or more seats being lost are much further out, at 13/1.”