Andy Street and Ben Houchen turn to Boris Johnson in mayoral election run-in

Incumbents promote messages of support from ex-PM despite otherwise avoiding linking themselves with wider Tory party

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Andy Street and Ben Houchen go into Thursday’s mayoral elections having run campaigns almost entirely separate from the Conservative party they represent.

But this week the respective high-profile Tory mayors for the West Midlands and Tees Valley have associated themselves with one senior Conservative whose endorsement they appear to relish: the former prime minister Boris Johnson.