Andy Street (Banbury, United Kingdom, 60 years old), would hardly have survived the daily slashes that characterize the national politics of the United Kingdom. His past as a successful executive in important companies, such as the John Lewis department store or the Waitrose supermarket chain, made him, however, a popular municipal manager in the West Midlands region, a territory that It is structured around the city of Birmingham.
Street has served two consecutive terms as mayor of a region in which he has gained popularity for his efforts to improve communication infrastructure, although this has sometimes cost him direct confrontations with the British Government.
If the most negative polls are correct and Labor wins this Thursday, in the municipal elections held in England and Wales, the West Midlands square, depression will take over the Conservative Party. If the surprise springs and Street retains the job, he will be the lifeline of the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and the new hero of the tories. The candidate spoke by phone, in the middle of a frenetic campaign, with Morning Express.
Ask. Sunak’s team, the entire Conservative Party and political analysts will be closely monitoring the West Midlands result on Friday and are confident that it will be good.
Answer. I am receiving very positive responses from voters in the door-to-door campaigning that I do, and I believe that the final result of this election is going to be incredibly close. They always are, here in the West Midlands. It is a place that preserves a delicate political balance.
Q. Do you think you have been able to get voters to ignore a national climate that is very contrary to the conservative government?
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R. Of course, what we have asked of the electorate is to elect a regional leader, not to participate in a popularity contest between the two major national parties. Normally, people know how to distinguish between mayors and the party to which they belong.
Q. But you are aware that the polls anticipate that you are going to be a scapegoat in these elections.
R. That is true, it cannot be denied, if one goes by the polls of recent weeks. But the polls have begun to change, and I think citizens have begun to distinguish things clearly.
Q. Curiously, his popularity lies in the fact that he has defended his independence within the party, and has even rebelled against government decisions such as suppressing the planned section of the high-speed train.
R. I feel quite comfortable from that position of independence. For me, this job means prioritizing the territory over the game. When it comes time to make a decision, my only judgment is to decide what is best for the West Midlands. In fact, I think it’s the way to earn the respect of your peers.
Q. Do you think Sunak can still be resurrected at the polls?
R. I think she still has a chance to be resurrected. If we manage to win in these municipal elections – and I admit, that is a very complicated hypothesis – it will be because people will have seen that we have managed to do relevant things. The lesson for Sunak is clear. He must demonstrate that he is capable of delivering what he promises, and his electoral possibilities will remain open.
Q. What is happening with the conservatives? Are they suffering from the internal commotion typical of the end of a political cycle?
R. The key to that answer lies in the absolute unity that the Conservative Party enjoys in this region. In addition to my mayor’s office, we have control of three of the Metropolitan Councils [gobiernos locales de condados menores]. Citizens are able to see a team that works together, and that does not get entangled in ideological or philosophical issues or discussions.
Q. Sunak has insisted on having his Rwanda law ready [para deportar a migrantes a ese país africano] before these elections. Has the immigration issue really been so relevant?
R. Not at all. For the same reason that I have said until now. People know that this is a matter of national policy, with little relevance in local management. They have not asked me a single question about it during all these days of the campaign.
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