Andrew John Street (born 11 June 1963) is a British businessman and
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
politician who was the managing director of
John Lewis
John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...
from 2007 to 2016, when he resigned to run for
Mayor of the West Midlands
The Mayor of the West Midlands is a Directly elected mayors in England and Wales, directly elected political post who chairs the West Midlands Combined Authority, covering the Birmingham metropolitan area and Coventry.
2017 West Midlands mayora ...
. Street won the
May 2017 mayoral election, defeating
Siôn Simon
Siôn Llewelyn Simon (born 23 December 1968) is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Erdington from 2001 to 2010 and as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the West Midlands fro ...
with 50.4% of the vote in the second round. He was
re-elected in 2021, defeating Labour candidate
Liam Byrne
Liam Dominic Byrne (born 2 October 1970) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Hodge Hill since 2004. A member of the Labour Party, he served in Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Cabinet from 2008 to 20 ...
. He is Britain's first openly gay directly-elected metro mayor.
Early life
Born in
Banbury, Oxfordshire
Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census.
Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshire ...
, Street moved to Birmingham with his parents, both scientists,
when he was ten months old, growing up in
Northfield Northfield may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Northfield, Aberdeen, Scotland
* Northfield, Edinburgh, Scotland
* Northfield, Birmingham, England
* Northfield (Kettering BC Ward), Northamptonshire, England
United States
* Northfield, Connec ...
and
Solihull
Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe i ...
.
He attended Green Meadow Infants School, Langley Junior School and
King Edward's School in
Edgbaston
Edgbaston () is an affluent suburban area of central Birmingham, England, historically in Warwickshire, and curved around the southwest of the city centre.
In the 19th century, the area was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family an ...
.
[ He studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at ]Keble College
Keble College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to th ...
, Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, where he was President of the Oxford University Conservative Association
The Oxford University Conservative Association (OUCA) is a student Conservative association founded in 1924, whose members are drawn from the University of Oxford. Since October 2009, OUCA has been affiliated to Conservative Future and its su ...
in the Trinity term of 1984.
Business career
After graduating, Street harboured ambitions to be a social worker, but he was turned down by Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local council area in the United Kingdom (e ...
.[ He was also turned down for the ]Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...
training scheme. Street thus started his career at the John Lewis Partnership in 1985 as a trainee at Brent Cross
Brent Cross is originally the name of a crossroads that today forms a major interchange for traffic in the London Borough of Barnet, England. Located a mile from the centres of Hendon and Golders Green, the area also contains the Brent Cross ...
.[
After roles in department stores, head office and manufacturing units, Street became managing director of John Lewis ]Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...
in 1993,[ moving to the same role at Bluewater five years later. In 2000 he became supply chain director and then, two years later, director of personnel.][ He became managing director in 2007 and, during his tenure at the top, oversaw a 50% increase in gross sales to over £4.4 billion, a doubling in the number of stores and the growth of the company's online sales department, in spite of the ]Great Recession
The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...
.[
]
Political career
Mayor of the West Midlands
On 29 September 2016, Street was officially selected by Conservatives to stand in the first election for Mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is a combined authority for the West Midlands metropolitan county in the United Kingdom. It was established by statutory instrument under the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Ac ...
, which took place on 4 May 2017. Street said: " he Combined Authoritywill determine how we create wealth here and what type of society the West Midlands will become. (...) Our economy is being renewed but we have much more to do to ensure everybody feels the benefit. Our mission is therefore to build the economic powerhouse of Britain in an inclusive way. That will need leadership from somebody who has a proven record, can bring people together and can represent us with passion. This election needs to go beyond traditional political loyalties and I look forward to seeking voters' support for the job ahead." The following day, it was confirmed that Street would leave John Lewis at the end of October 2016. He was succeeded by Paula Nickolds, who assumed the role in January 2017.
In a speech at the 2016 Conservative Party conference, Street declared his support for Birmingham's bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games
The 2026 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Victoria 2026, is a multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth scheduled to take place across four regional sites in the Australian state ...
. He also 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. Street said that fighting inequality would also 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
Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually served as a leading imperialist in coalition with the Cons ...
and his own experiences with the John Lewis Partnership, which shares profits with all of its employees. He also called for a series of debates with Labour candidate Siôn Simon
Siôn Llewelyn Simon (born 23 December 1968) is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Erdington from 2001 to 2010 and as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the West Midlands fro ...
and Liberal Democrat candidate Beverley Nielsen
Beverley Nielsen (born 25 January 1960), is an entrepreneur, educator and campaigner who works as executive director, Institute for Design, Economic Acceleration & Sustainability (IDEAS) at Birmingham City University. She has previously worked a ...
.
Street was endorsed by The Lord Jones of Birmingham, a businessman and crossbench
A crossbencher is an independent or minor party member of some legislatures, such as the British House of Lords and the Parliament of Australia. They take their name from the crossbenches, between and perpendicular to the government and oppositi ...
peer who formerly served as Minister of State for Trade and Investment
The Minister of State for Trade Policy is a mid-level role at the Department for International Trade in the Government of the United Kingdom. It is currently held by Greg Hands, who took the office on 9 October 2022. The minister deputizes for ...
under Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...
.
Street was elected Mayor of the West Midlands on 4 May 2017 with 238,628 votes (216,280 first preferences, and 22,348 transfers) 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'. Upon taking office, he became entitled to the style of Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
.
Street was re-elected as Mayor on 6 May 2021 with 314,669 votes, 54% of the total votes cast after second preference votes were included.
Political views
Street has been an outspoken critic of continually-rising business rates
Rates are a tax on property in the United Kingdom used to fund local government. Business rates are collected throughout the United Kingdom. Domestic rates are collected in Northern Ireland and were collected in England and Wales before 1990 and i ...
, 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.[ Street supported ]Liz Truss
Mary Elizabeth Truss (born 26 July 1975) is a British politician who briefly served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022. On her fiftieth day in office, she stepped down ...
as Prime Minister before her very short time in office.
Other posts
In addition to his business career, Street has worked extensively in local economic development, being named Chairman of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership
The Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) is one of 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships set up by Government to drive economic development in England.
Established in May 2011, the LEP covers the geographical boundaries o ...
in April 2011. The announcement of his appointment came weeks after the news that John Lewis would open a flagship store in the newly developed Grand Central shopping centre above New Street station.[ Street stepped down from this role in September 2016 after announcing his intention to run for Mayor of the West Midlands. He has been lead non-executive director for the Department for Communities and Local Government as well as a member of Prime Minister ]David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
's Business Advisory Group.
Street was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(CBE) in the 2015 Birthday Honours
The 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...
for services to economic growth. He was named the 'Most Admired Leader' of the year by business magazine Management Today in 2014.[ He received the 'President's award' from the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce in for his services to the region. He holds honorary degrees with ]Birmingham City University
Birmingham City University (abbrev. BCU) is a university in Birmingham, England. Initially established as the Birmingham College of Art with roots dating back to 1843, it was designated as a polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic in 1971 and gai ...
, the University of Birmingham
, mottoeng = Through efforts to heights
, established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...
and Aston University
Aston University (abbreviated as ''Aston''. for post-nominals) is a public research university situated in the city centre of Birmingham, England. Aston began as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School in 1895, evolving into the UK's first c ...
.
Personal life
For more than 20 years from his school days, Street was involved with the charity Birmingham Young Volunteers (BYV) Adventure Camps, taking underprivileged children nominated by Birmingham Social Services to Wales for adventure camps. Street is a supporter of Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Pa ...
and runs half-marathons.[ He is Vice-Chairman of Performances Birmingham Limited, which is responsible for running the city's ]Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...
and Town Halls.
Street is openly gay. He is a close friend of the Conservative MP Michael Fabricant
Michael Louis David Fabricant (born 12 June 1950) is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lichfield in Staffordshire, formerly Mid Staffordshire, since 1992.
Fabricant w ...
with whom he co-owns a holiday home in Snowdonia
Snowdonia or Eryri (), is a mountainous region in northwestern Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three national parks in Wales, in 1951.
Name and extent
It was a commonly held belief that the nam ...
. In December 2021, Fabricant described his relationship with Street as being life partners.
References
External links
Official campaign website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Street, Andy
Living people
British businesspeople
1963 births
People educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham
Alumni of Keble College, Oxford
Presidents of the Oxford University Conservative Association
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
John Lewis Partnership people
Conservative Party (UK) people
LGBT politicians from England
Gay politicians
LGBT mayors of places in the United Kingdom
21st-century LGBT people