A Labour spokesman said: “In Paulette, the people of Birmingham Erdington have elected a great local champion. We’re delighted that this campaign has seen the first black MP elected from a Birmingham constituency.
“Increasing our vote share is a huge achievement and shows that with Keir Starmer’s leadership, Labour is regaining the trust of voters in our traditional ‘red wall’ seats in the Midlands after the disastrous results of the 2019 general election.”
Turnout was just 27 per cent, roughly half the 53.3 per cent at the last general election. Just 17,016 of 62,996 eligible constituents cast a vote.
“It’s been a tough campaign, the weather hasn’t been the best,” said Ian Ward, the Labour leader of Birmingham City Council, adding that low voter turnout was “more of a problem for us than it is for the Tories”.
The Reform Party came third with 293 votes, followed by the Green Party with 236 and the Liberal Democrats with 173. All parties other than Labour and Conservatives failed to get five per cent of the vote, meaning they lost their deposits.
Birmingham Erdington, a predominantly a white working class area with higher than average levels of deprivation, shares many characteristics with the “Red Wall” seats the Tories won during the last election.
Mr Adlen, a father of two, has been a Tory councillor since 2006 and is leader of the Conservative group on the Labour-dominated council. This is the fifth time he has unsuccessfully stood as the Tory candidate for the constituency.