🚨 It's official: Labour's Richard Parker has BEATEN Andy Street to become mayor of the West Midlands, winning an incredibly tight race. The result is a major blow for the Conservatives, who hoped Street would provide a rare bright spot in these local elections.

In a generous victory speech, @RichParkerLab pays tribute to @andy4wm for his leadership of the region. "You deserve credit," he says. "We both have the best interests of the West Midlands at heart".

@RichParkerLab @andy4wm The result was incredibly close - Parker won by just 1,508 votes. @pennycenturyy has been at the count all day and says sentiment about who was going to win has been going back and forth as various dramatic recounts and vote samplings took place.

@RichParkerLab @andy4wm @pennycenturyy Who is Parker? Our subscribers already know - we sat down with him last week and he told us about fighting a race in which he was dismissed as a nobody. “No one’s heard of you. Is that the best Labour can do?” one person said at a hustings.

This is how tight the race was: Parker 37.8% Street 37.5%

Parker gives his first interview to the BBC. "There is some work to do with the Muslim community and some of our inner-city communities," the newly elected mayor tells @BBCRajiniV .

Here he is - Parker passes his screaming supporters. We will try to grab a word with him.

A big storyline tonight is the very strong performance of Akhmed Yakoob, an independent candidate backed by @georgegalloway . He got 69,621 votes, more than Reform and the Greens combined.