Ben Houchen bucks trend to be re-elected in Tees Valley

On a poor night for the Conservatives in local elections, Ben Houchen was returned as the mayor of the Tees Valley.

The mayor told the BBC’s Richard Moss that he won because he that had “been able to deliver”.

Lord Houchen denied he side-lined the PM in his leaflets and said Rishi Sunak has visited the area and had been campaigning for him.

LIVE: Local election results in text and video