There is perhaps one obvious candidate. A person who, like Woolton, cut his stripes in retail, learning how to run a complex organisation that delivers what people want before turning to politics: Andy Street.
Such bonuses are real. But with so many current Conservative MPs withdrawing, and many of those who are re-standing doing so in either partially or entirely new constituencies, there may be limited opportunities for Tories to actually benefit.
In 2021, despite being a squishy, woke, Gen Z voter, I voted for him. Despite having voted for Green, Liberal Democrat, and Labour candidates in every other election, I voted for a competent regional champion.
The party’s total vote share and prospects is more buoyant than a simple glance at some of the polls might expect.
Local election losses, including in London, show the electoral limits of fighting Uxbridge-style campaigns that pit the environment against the cost of living.
These mayoralty elections might not tell us much about the result of the next general election, but they do give us a clue about where the Conservatives should go afterwards.
Are the local election results sufficiently terrible that Rishi Sunak has earnt the right to march us slowly towards the guns later this year?
The outgoing Mayor of the West Midlands says he is proud to have lost “by 1500 votes in a region of millions”, especially “given the situation the party finds itself in”.
Of the rest, one fifth think he should resign regardless; only 13 per cent of our panel think the local authority and mayoral elections should be the deciding factor.
Perhaps the benefits of Tory rule can only be fully understood once one has had to live under the alternative. At our best, we show that lower taxes, better services, and happier residents can go together.
MP and activist responses to the local elections are likely to hinge on what happens in both the West Midlands and Tees Valley. If the Conservatives lose one or both of them, the backbench vultures will likely begin to circle.
Stop the boats, abolish the Lords, and bring back the cane are among the policies urged by voters in the West Midlands.
The renaissance of places like Dudley demands great skills and single-minded determination. As Mayor, he has proven he has both.
The departure of Humza Yousaf provides an opportunity to reflect on the United Kingdom’s confusing administrative geography, and how a future unionist government might hope to reform it.
Can the new settlement retain cross-party support when one of the major parties controls only one mayoralty?