The job of West Midlands mayor — who holds one of the largest single electoral mandates of any British politician — will come up for election again in 2028. 

Street has continued to make appearances around the region, including visiting the scene of wildfires outside Birmingham over summer. He also has a busy schedule at the Conservative Party Conference this weekend in the same city, including with the center-right policy network Prosper which he co-founded with former Scottish Conservatives Leader Ruth Davidson.

Prominent Conservatives from the center-right flank have, however, been blocked from the party’s list of candidates for the next general election, expected by 2029. Party Leader Kemi Badenoch has insisted that future candidates must agree to abandoning net zero carbon policies and to withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights.

A person who has worked with Street said he was “building up a campaign and keeping key relationships alive,” and that any move by the party to block him from running on a Conservative ticket if he chose to would be “a ridiculous act of self-harm.”

Street said it would be wrong to draw any conclusions about his future ambitions in frontline politics. “This is pure political speculation with two and two making five,” he said. “It is true that I will be active at conference as co-chair of ProsperUK making the case for moderate Conservatism, and demonstrating the support our movement has. 

“It is also true that I remain deeply committed to the West Midlands. It is my home and I will continue to dedicate time and energy to its future. But the idea that these two facts are part of a wider plan is just conjecture.”

Emilio Casalicchio contributed reporting.