35 Facts About Andy Street

Sir Andrew John Street was born on 11 June 1963 and is a British businessman and Conservative Party politician who was the managing director of John Lewis from 2007 to 2016 and Mayor of the West Midlands from 2017 to 2024.

Andy Street was re-elected in 2021 with an increased majority, defeating Labour candidate Liam Byrne.

Andy Street sought a third term in 2024 but was narrowly defeated by Labour candidate Richard Parker.

Andy Street attended Green Meadow Infants School, Langley Junior School and was then privately educated at King Edward's School in Edgbaston.

Andy Street studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Keble College, Oxford, where he was President of the Oxford University Conservative Association in the Trinity term of 1984.

Andy Street thus started his career at the John Lewis Partnership in 1985 as a trainee at Brent Cross.

Andy Street stepped down from these roles in September 2016 after announcing his intention to run for Mayor of the West Midlands.

On 29 September 2016, Andy Street was officially selected by Conservatives to stand in the first election for Mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority, which took place on 4 May 2017.

Andy Street was succeeded by Paula Nickolds, who assumed the role in January 2017.

Andy Street announced that he would seek to address the "imbalance" in transportation spending that sees London receive seven times as much spending on transport infrastructure per head as the West Midlands does, seeking to end the "begging bowl culture" of applying for regional funding.

Andy Street said that fighting inequality would be a priority, as "social challenges can only be met when everybody shares the fruits of economic progress", saying that he would draw on the lessons of Joseph Chamberlain and his own experiences with the John Lewis Partnership, which shares profits with all of its employees.

Andy Street called for a series of debates with Labour candidate Sion Simon and Liberal Democrat candidate Beverley Nielsen.

Andy Street was endorsed by The Lord Jones of Birmingham, a businessman and crossbench peer who formerly served as Minister of State for Trade and Investment under Gordon Brown.

Andy Street was elected Mayor of the West Midlands on 4 May 2017 with 238,628 votes in the second round of voting, and in October of the same year was placed 82nd on commentator Iain Dale's list of 'The Top 100 Most Influential People on the Right'.

Andy Street lobbied the government to integrate the Police and Crime Commissioner role within the mayoral position in time for the 2020 election, later postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In June 2020, Andy Street signed a plan to create a West Midlands National Park, in cooperation with councils in and around the city-region.

Andy Street has said that he wants Birmingham to host the 2027 Invictus Games.

At the 2023 Conservative Party Conference, Andy Street held a press conference on the future of the proposed Phase 2 of High Speed 2, which would have connected Manchester and Birmingham New Andy Street.

Andy Street warned that the rumoured decision to scrap the railway line would be missing "a once in a lifetime opportunity to level up", and damage the UK's international reputation for investors.

Andy Street called for the Government to attract further private investment, rather than cancel the second phase.

Andy Street stood to be elected to a third term in the 2024 mayoral election.

The situation was criticised during the campaign by Andy Street, who said that the Council had "let down" citizens and services.

Amongst his other policies, Andy Street pledged to treble the amount of social housing within the West Midlands to 1,700 new social homes per year, using powers newly devolved to the combined authority in 2023, with the city region receiving a single affordable housing settlement from central government after 2026.

Andy Street was defeated in the election after a tight race, losing to Richard Parker by 1,508 votes.

In May 2024, Andy Street announced that he would not be standing to become a member of Parliament in the upcoming general election.

Andy Street has been an outspoken critic of continually-rising business rates, arguing that "property is the way retailers have made money historically and we need a system that is a reflection of the future", though he does not believe that online transaction taxes are the answer.

Andy Street was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2015 Birthday Honours for services to economic growth.

Andy Street was named the 'Most Admired Leader' of the year by business magazine Management Today in 2014.

Andy Street received the 'President's award' from the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce in for his services to the region.

Andy Street holds honorary degrees from Birmingham City University, the University of Birmingham and Aston University.

Andy Street was knighted by King Charles III in the 2025 New Year Honours for public service.

Andy Street is gay and is life partner of former Conservative MP Michael Fabricant.

For more than 20 years from his school days, Andy Street was involved with the charity Birmingham Young Volunteers Adventure Camps, taking underprivileged children nominated by Birmingham Social Services to Wales for adventure camps.

Andy Street is a supporter of Aston Villa FC and runs half-marathons.

Andy Street is Vice-Chairman of Performances Birmingham Limited, which is responsible for running the city's Symphony and Town Halls.