Andy Street’s West Midlands defeat shows the heavy baggage of brand Tory

Running as a ‘pseudo-independent’ in a region in which Labour faced its own hurdles was not enough to keep Tory mayor in office

After a nail-biting finale, Andy Street has become the most high-profile victim of tanking Tory support in May’s elections.

With the Conservatives shedding seats across the country on Friday, all eyes were on the West Midlands on Saturday to see if he could cling on by sheer will of personality – or “Brand Andy” as he calls it.