Stuck in the Midlands with you: Mayor Andy Street on Levelling Up and wrangling with Westminster

Andy Street took a risk in leaving his role as managing director of John Lewis to become West Midlands mayor. He’s one of two Tory combined authority mayors, a role he describes as “trailblazing”. But despite his party loyalty, he hasn’t shied away from criticising Westminster – especially when it comes to Levelling-up. He sat down with Hannah Fearn in The Bunker to discuss his priorities and time in office.

• “For me, it wasn’t about representing the party in Westminster. It was first and foremost about being an individual representative for the West Midlands.” – Andy Street
• “The truth is that Michael Gove and the Levelling-up Department have spent billions. But are we getting that message across? No.” – Andy Street
• “My relationship with Whitehall is positive, but immature. We make our proposals, and Whitehall will decide.” – Andy Street
• “Mayoral models are becoming popular because people want someone they can relate to, and with whom the buck stops.” – Andy Street

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Written and presented by Hannah Fearn. Producer & Audio production: Alex Rees. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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