Down to the wire for mayor as recount in nail biting fight for West Midlands

A partial recount has been ordered in the nail biting contest to decide the next Mayor of the West Midlands. It means a delay of at least an hour until the full results will be announced.

We understand that this is not at the request of the Labour Party but it adds to the tension ramping up inside Birmingham's ICC where the local count is taking place and where candidates have gathered ahead of the final result.

Two results ARE confirmed though - with Labour stronghold Wolverhampton going with Richard Parker, and Conservative heartland Solihull backing Andy Street.

It's pointing to a dramatic finale in this closely fought race for mayor that has taken on national significance as commentators seek to draw insight from it for the forthcoming General Election.

Victory in the eagerly anticipated contest has been declared too close to call for days, with polling putting the two main rivals neck and neck.

Andy Street's victory could provide a fillip for the beleagured Rishi Sunak and the national party, despite Street running a campaign desperately distancing himself from them.

'Brand Andy' ran a determined campaign against the Labour Party. Independent Akhmed Yakoob is thought to have dented the inner city Labour vote, particularly in Birmingham, with a strong pro-Palestine protest vote in Muslim-majority heartlands including Alum Rock and Small Heath.

One Labour insider said the Labour vote in these areas was well down from the usual 85% or so to a mere 60%, with Yakoob largely picking up the rest.

Jess Phillips, Yardley MP speaking before the result, described Yakoob as a 'charlatan' who had opportunistically jumped on the Gaza issue. But she said the Labour party leadership would need to 'debrief' and learn lessons from the mayoral campaign ahead of the General Election, no matter the outcome, including how Yakoob had tapped into anger and frustration in inner city parts of Birmingham.

Results so far:

Solihull:

Wolverhampton:

Turnout was down just 2% across the region, despite expectations of a much reduced turnout. But it still means that fewer than three in ten people took the opportunity to express their view.