Ben Houchen said he could "absolutely" work with Sir Keir Starmer if the Labour leader becomes prime minister, but denied "trying to pretend" he was not Conservative during his mayoral election campaign.The winning Tory candidate in the Tees Valley contest appeared to praise the Opposition's position on devolution, saying it would give him "more autonomy" after his victory on Friday.But he said "people know round here I'm a Conservative" when asked about apparent efforts to distance himself from

Ben Houchen said he could "absolutely" work with Sir Keir Starmer if the Labour leader becomes prime minister, but denied "trying to pretend" he was not Conservative during his mayoral election campaign.The winning Tory candidate in the Tees Valley contest appeared to praise the Opposition's position on devolution, saying it would give him "more autonomy" after his victory on Friday.But he said "people know round here I'm a Conservative" when asked about apparent efforts to distance himself from the Tory Party brand and instead run on a highly personal platform.