Former John Lewis boss poaches Labour voters

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and West Midlands Mayor Andy Street tour the UTC Aerospace Systems factory during a campaign visit on May 6, 2017 in Wolverhampton. REUTERS/Jack Taylor/Pool

UK   –  Andy Street’s mayoral victory in Britain’s second largest metropolitan area may give the best indication yet of just how far Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservatives are poaching traditional Labour supporters ahead of the June 8 national vote.

Street quit his $1-million-a-year job as managing director of department store chain John Lewis to stand for the top political job in the West Midlands region of central England, which has a population of about 3 million. His victory this month was a surprise because the seven cities and boroughs, including Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton, that make up the West Midlands Combined Authority are a traditional stronghold of the opposition Labour Party.(Reuters)[+]