Ben Houchen re-elected as Tees Valley Mayor
Voters across the Tees Valley have re-elected Ben Houchen as their Mayor.
He claimed victory over Labour candidate Jessie-Jo Jacobs with 121,964 votes.
In a speech he thanked colleagues and his team for their support.
Senior Tories have congratulated him on his landslide victory.
Tory co-chairman Amanda Milling and Chancellor Rishi Sunak were among those who highlighted Mr Houchen's re-election.
Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said: "Few have done more to transform a community. Teesside is a very different place.
"Leadership matters. We need more elected mayors delivering for our communities."
The victory means the Tories have now achieved two parts of the "hat-trick" of electoral successes they have targeted - winning the Hartlepool by-election and retaining the mayoralties in Tees Valley and the West Midlands.
The Tees Valley Combined Authority covers five boroughs - Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton.
The mayor role was created in 2017, and carries with it some funding and powers over things like economic growth, transport and skills.