West Midlands mayor Andy Street backs Liz Truss for prime minister

Liz Truss will "inject dynamism into our economy" as prime minister, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street says

West Midlands mayor Andy Street has backed Liz Truss for Conservative leader and prime minister.

Writing in the Telegraph, Mr Street said Ms Truss had a "bold, optimistic vision" for the country.

The Conservative mayor added he had asked himself which of the two remaining contenders would "deliver better outcomes" for the West Midlands.

Ms Truss's leadership rival Rishi Sunak has said he had a "radical" tax vision if he became prime minister.

In announcing his latest tax policy, Mr Sunak emphasised the need to control inflation before cutting taxes, adding that tax cuts now would make the situation worse and "endanger people's mortgages".

In his article, Mr Street said he had several reasons for making his choice and had held discussions with both candidates.

Backing Ms Truss, he said she would "inject dynamism into our economy and create more high quality, well-paid jobs".

Andy Street has been West Midlands Mayor since 2017

Mr Street added he wanted a prime minister "utterly committed" to delivering "levelling up" and he believed Ms Truss would be that person.

He said he wanted to see a devolution deal delivered for the West Midlands "to make a tangible difference to people's lives".

In his article in the Telegraph, he said he believed she would cut the country's dependence on fossil fuels and also stand up for the country's status in the world.

"As she has shown while facing down Vladimir Putin, Liz Truss is not afraid to stand up for our values," he wrote.

MPs have revealed who they were supporting in the leadership contest, with former leadership candidate Penny Mordaunt announcing her backing for Ms Truss on Monday.

Analysis by West Midlands political editor Elizabeth Glinka

On the surface this endorsement may not appear the natural choice for the Mayor of the West Midlands.

The former John Lewis boss is widely viewed as a socially liberal pragmatist who's often benefitted from the perception he's not really that political at all.

So aligning himself with the candidate of the Tory right, including Johnson loyalists like Nadine Dorries, may raise eyebrows - but everyone wants to back a winner, especially a pragmatist.

The key factor here starts with L and ends with Up. Mr Street wants a PM committed to English devolution with the cash to back it up.

By instinct he may sit closer to Rishi Sunak's 'sensible' fiscal responsibility, but as Mayor he wants a PM who keeps the funding flowing.