28TH MAY 2024 : 7PM : ONLINE WITH LORD HOUCHEN

THIS EVENT HAS ENDED. WATCH RECORDING HERE

PopCon Director, Mark Littlewood was joined by Tees Valley Mayor, Lord Houchen for a stimulating discussion on all things conservative. 

Ben is Teesside born and bred. He has been Tees Valley Mayor since its creation in 2017 and was re-elected in 2021 with a huge 73% majority.

His victory back in 2017 and re-election in 2021 was seen as emblematic of the Conservative Party's ability to win seats in former Labour strongholds dubbed the “Red Wall.” 

More recently, and bucking the national trend, Ben succeeded in securing a third term at the May 2nd 2024 elections with 54% of the vote and the most votes in all five council areas, prompting Politics.co.uk to ask "Is Ben Houchen now Britain’s most powerful Conservative?"

Whether that is true or not, Ben has been forthright on his views about what the Government needs to do - saying that many people in the Tees Valley are dissatisfied with the Government but also uninspired by the Labour party. 

Ben is a strong ally of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who recorded a video endorsement prior to the mayoral election, in which Boris describes Ben as "a man who does what he says he is going to do". During this webinar we heard what Ben said he was going to do next, how he thought he succeeded on May 2nd once dust had settled, and what he wanted to see the Government do to replicate his own success.