Turnout down for mayoral elections

ANDY BURNHAM and his mayoral Labour counterparts in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Liverpool City Region were re-elected with thumping majorities last week and used their platforms to hammer under-fire Rishi Sunak.

- ROB PARSONS

On Merseyside, incumbent Steve Rotheram received 68 per cent of the vote, then urged the prime minister to call a general election, saying 'we are ready when you are! 

Labour's Oliver Coppard retained his job as South Yorkshire mayor with just over 50pc of the vote and said he will 'join millions of people across the North in calling out this government for their failure to level up our country!

And Tracy Brabin also retained her job as West Yorkshire mayor after winning more than half of the votes.

But while the metro mayors received a commanding share of the vote, turnout was disappointingly low- and a blow to the argument that the more people see of metro mayors the more they like them.