West Midlands Mayor Andy Street stresses need for access to single market and customs union The Conservative’s most senior directly-elected politician has warned Theresa May that a hard or no-deal Brexit would present a danger […]

The Conservative’s most senior directly-elected politician has warned Theresa May that a hard or no-deal Brexit would present a danger for business and industry.

Andy Street, the West Midlands Mayor, said the importance to the region of continuing access to the European single market and customs union could not be overstated.

In an interview with i , he said the region, which voted heavily for Brexit, was anxious to “move on” to secure a trade deal that maintained as close links as possible with the European Union.

Mr Street, the former managing director of John Lewis, said the “message is absolutely consistent from the West Midlands that we need to have a trade deal with the EU” and to “if possible maintain access to the single market and customs union”.

Regional Mayors v No Deal Brexit

Negotiaions of Britain’s trade relationship with the EU after Brexit are due to begin in the new year, but Mrs May has repeatedly warned that “no deal” is an option.

Mr Street warned that departure without a deal, leaving British exporters to operate on World Trade Organisation rules, would be a “challenge for the region”.

He is one of a number of regional mayors who are concerned about Brexit. Town hall leaders across the North have also grown frustrated at the Government’s perceived unwillingness to listen to them in the Brexit process.

In November, Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram, the Labour mayors of Greater Manchester and Merseyside, and Ben Houchen, the Conservative mayor of the Tees Valley, wrote to Brexit Secretary David Davis calling for post-EU funding and powers to be devolved to English regions.

EU structural and investment funds are worth £25m to Teesside alone, an area which strongly backed Leave in the EU referendum.

Mr Street said: “My hope is that, now we are through the first round, then the second round will lead us to a trade deal with the EU, so we can continue to have the advantage particularly for our manufacturing sector.”

Cross-party collaboration

Mr Street’s victory in May in an area traditionally dominated by Labour was hailed by Conservatives as evidence of its ability to reach out to urban areas.

However, the Tories captured only one Labour-held seat in the West Midlands five weeks later after Theresa May’s decision to call a snap election backfired.

As a Conservative representing a region in which five of the seven councils are Labour-led, he insisted there had been “phenomenal” levels of co-operation across the area to lobby successfully for Coventry to be named UK City of Culture in 2021, for the Commonwealth Games to come to Birmingham and for government-backed research and development projects to be based in the West Midlands.

In the spirit of cross-party collaboration, Mr Street described as “very welcome” Labour’s call for parts of the Bank of England to be relocated to Birmingham.He urged other areas wavering over the merits of having their own metro-mayors to back the idea.

But he added: “They have to be up for it, there’s no point it being imposed because this is all about the region wishing to work together – across party, across local authority with the biz community as well.

“It’s that desire of everyone working together that is making the new model work for us.”

Mr Street refused to be drawn on the reasons for the Tories’ flop in the polls in June, but suggested the party needed to promote a more optimistic and relevant message to young voters.