Final local results to be declared as Conservatives pick over bleak showing

Summary

The Conservatives have lost more than 450 council seats and Labour grabbed a close win in the West Midlands mayoral election
Richard Parker beat the Tory incumbent Andy Street - by 1,508 votes, a victory that Sir Keir Starmer described as "beyond our expectations"
Rishi Sunak has said he was disappointed but determined to press ahead with his plan to deliver a brighter future
Earlier today, former home secretary Suella Braverman blamed the PM for the "dismal" results and said he needs to "own" it and "change course"
Labour's Sadiq Khan won a third term as London mayor, increasing his share of the vote
Final results in the last remaining races for local elections are expected to be declared by the end of day

Live Reporting

Edited by Johanna Chisholm and James Harness

I knew it would be close - Parkerpublished at 21:28 British Summer Time 4 May
Image source, PA Media
Our colleague Rajini Vaidyanathan just caught up with man-of-the-moment Richard Parker on the BBC News channel.
Parker says his victory in the West Midlands was the result "of a terrific amount of hard work".
He says he knew the result would be close, and at times thought it might be "more difficult".
Turning to his priorities as mayor, Parker commits to helping parts of the region that have been "left behind for too long".
And after a sizeable share of the vote went to independent candidate Akhmed Yakoob - who campaigned on the issue of Gaza - Parker pledges to "build back trust within the Muslim community".
Starmer celebrates in the West Midlandspublished at 21:20 British Summer Time 4 May
Nick Eardley
Political correspondent
We just brought you Keir Starmer's reaction to Richard Parker's win. I'm told Starmer was in the East Midlands watching the football in a pub, and then headed to the West Midlands to celebrate.
Defeated Street backs Sunak to stay as leaderpublished at 21:16 British Summer Time 4 May
Chris Mason
Political editor, reporting from Birmingham
Andy Street tells the BBC "I did it my way" - and insists Rishi Sunak should lead the Conservatives into the general election.
He claims the fact he came so close proves the value of "moderate" Conservatism.
A deeply disappointing result for Downing Streetpublished at 21:14 British Summer Time 4 May
Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert
In the most exciting and perhaps most important result of the last 48 hours, Labour has narrowly seized the West Midlands mayoralty from the grasp of incumbent Conservative Andy Street.
This result will be deeply disappointing for Downing Street who were relying on not only winning the Tees Valley mayoralty to dispel some of the electoral gloom, but also to be able to trumpet Street's victory.
In the event, Street's defeat has served to underline the size of the electoral black hole in which the Conservatives find themselves.
'Phenomenal result' - Starmerpublished at 21:12 British Summer Time 4 May
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says the party's victory in the West Midlands mayoral election is a "phenomenal result" and "beyond our expectations".
"People across the country have had enough of Conservative chaos and decline and voted for change with Labour," he says.
"Our fantastic new mayor Richard Parker stands ready to deliver a fresh start for the West Midlands.
"My changed Labour Party is back in the service of working people, and stands ready to govern.
"Labour will turn the page after 14 years of Tory decline and usher in a decade of national renewal. That change starts today."
Street wishes Parker 'wisdom and strength' in new rolepublished at 21:08 British Summer Time 4 May
"You'll be relieved to know this is a short speech," begins outgoing Tory mayor Andy Street, alluding to the late result.
He thanks his fellow candidates for conducting a "courteous campaign", before congratulating his successor, Labour's Richard Parker.
"I wish him all strength and wisdom in the role," he says.
Street then thanks his own team, saying it has been an "honour to lead you", adding: "Sorry we couldn't make that hat-trick."
Finally, he thanks those who voted for him and for the "trust" they put in him.
Becoming emotional, he says it "has been my honour to serve and lead".
'Most important thing I will ever do' - Parkerpublished at 21:05 British Summer Time 4 May
Parker now says serving as mayor will be the "most important thing I will ever do".
"You have put your trust in me and I will repay that trust. I will deliver for you and your family," he says.
"I promise you that I will deliver jobs. We will fix our public transport system, we will build the homes you need, and we will give this region the fresh start it richly deserves."
He also pledges to "stand up for all of our councils in the face of unprecedented Tory cuts".
Parker begins with warm words for Streetpublished at 21:01 British Summer Time 4 May
Media caption,
Watch: Labour's new West Midlands mayor thankful after winning knife-edge race
Labour's Richard Parker, the new mayor of the West Midlands, takes his place at the podium to speak, after huge applause.
He starts by thanking outgoing mayor Andy Street, saying he's led the region "through a number of great challenges, and you deserve credit for that".
Parker thanks him again for building the authority "into the powerhouse it is today".
He says that while their politics are different, "we have the best interests of the West Midlands at heart".
Returning officer on stage in West Midlandspublished at 20:56 British Summer Time 4 May
The returning officer in the West Midlands mayoral race is now on stage with all the candidates and is reading the results - confirming Richard Parker as the winner.
As a reminder - you can watch live by pressing play at the top of the page.
Labour wins West Midlands mayoral contestpublished at 20:54 British Summer Time 4 May
Breaking
The results are in - and it's official.
Labour's candidate Richard Parker has won Sandwell - the last of seven constituencies to be declared in the West Midlands mayoral contest.
Overall, he wins by 1,508 votes.
Image source, .
Campaign was a mess, says Tory sourcepublished at 20:52 British Summer Time 4 May
Rob Mayor
Political editor, West Midlands, reporting from Birmingham
A Conservative source in the Midlands, with good knowledge of the campaign, tells me: "It was never going to end well, as the campaign was a mess.
"Literature arriving late, activists only turning up for photos. Too much hubris and arrogance, assuming we'd win 'because it's Andy'.
"Good experienced people not consulted, brought in or engaged. I'm gutted, the West Midlands is screwed."
As a reminder, the final result in the West Midlands is due any minute.
Checking the victory speech?published at 20:48 British Summer Time 4 May
Image source, PA Media
Labour's Richard Parker has been snapped having a final read-through of his speech.
Is it a victory speech? That's what we're expecting.
Candidates asked to gather at West Midlands count - result imminentpublished at 20:46 British Summer Time 4 May
The candidates in the West Midlands mayoral race have just been asked to make their way to the media suite at the count.
Typically at election counts, candidates will be told the outcome before the results are announced publicly.
All that means we're not far off confirmation of who the next West Midlands mayor will be.
We're still in the pub, says Tory rebel sourcepublished at 20:41 British Summer Time 4 May
Nick Eardley
Political correspondent
The West Midlands result is a blow for the Conservatives. So what does it mean for the prime minister?
I’ve just asked a source close to Tory rebels. Their answer: "We’re still in the pub."
The context: they appear to have decided yesterday that despite the results, they weren’t going to try to bring down the PM. Instead, they went to the pub.
I suppose it is a Bank Holiday weekend.
Shadow chancellor Reeves congratulates Parkerpublished at 20:37 British Summer Time 4 May
Image source, Rachel Reeves
More signals now that Labour is confident it has won the West Midlands mayoral race.
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves - sister of Ellie, who we mentioned previously - has posted a picture of herself alongside candidate Richard Parker.
She congratulates him for "running an incredible campaign and securing an amazing victory".
"The West Midlands has voted for change," she adds.
Labour's deputy campaign chief congratulates Parker on 'victory'published at 20:27 British Summer Time 4 May
Image source, X/ @elliereeves
Labour's deputy national campaign co-ordinator Ellie Reeves has congratulated candidate Richard Parker on what she claims is his "significant" victory in the West Midlands mayoral race.
As a reminder, the result is yet to be officially declared.
"Right across the country people have voted for change and the message is clear," the Lewisham MP writes on X.
"It's time for a general election and a Labour govt to get our country's future back."
Just 1,000 votes in it, say Labour sourcespublished at 20:21 British Summer Time 4 May
Nick Eardley
Political correspondent
My sources say Labour may have won this race by as little as 1,000 votes.
But they’re confident they’ve won.
Hugs, whoops and tears in the Labour camppublished at 20:19 British Summer Time 4 May
Rajini Vaidyanathan
Reporting from Birmingham
A crowd of Labour supporters are standing by the stage here at the Birmingham International Convention Centre.
Labour’s Richard Parker is receiving lots of hugs, and we can hear some party members whooping, others are even crying. It’s expected he’ll shortly be announced as the new mayor here.
This would be a stunning victory for the party in the West Midlands – probably one of their highest points from this run of elections.
The Conservative incumbent Andy Street’s personal brand seemingly didn’t make it over the line here – although it was a close race. Some Labour members simply can’t believe they seem to have done it.
Conservatives were hoping for a silver liningpublished at 20:18 British Summer Time 4 May
Nick Eardley
Political correspondent
The Conservatives losing the West Midlands may prove to be the biggest result of these local elections.
It’s been on a knife edge for hours. But Labour now think they won.
The Conservatives were hoping this would prove a silver lining among the clouds. It looks like it’ll be another dark cloud. It will cause even more Conservative fears about what it means for a general election.
It’ll be interesting to see what Andy Street says in response.
Who is Richard Parker?published at 20:09 British Summer Time 4 May
Image source, PA Media
We're still waiting on results from the West Midlands - but Labour think Richard Parker has won it. So who is he?
Parker is the son of a docker and school secretary who left school at 16.
In 1989, he joined accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers and managed their relationship with the Labour Party for five years, before leaving to start a firm working with small and medium-sized companies and social enterprises.
He has described his move into politics as the "most important thing I've done in my life".
Before the election, he pledged to bring the region's buses under public control and revamp its high streets.
He has also said he wants to create 150,000 extra jobs, tackle crime, and crack down on rogue landlords.