Labour will face a potentially difficult new by-election this summer after an MP in a Tory target seat won a top job outside Westminster.
Tracy Brabin was today elected as West Yorkshire's first mayor, beating Tory Matt Robinson with 310,923 votes to 209,137.
Ms Brabin, who today celebrates her 60th birthday, has said she is "proud" to become the first mayor for the West Yorkshire region - and England's first female metro mayor.
Following her election on Sunday evening, she said in a tweet: "We did it! I'm proud to be the first West Yorkshire Metro Mayor and I'm incredibly humbled and grateful for every single vote.
"I will fight for every single resident so everyone has the opportunity to succeed. Thank you."
In her victory speech she said: "It is an honour that I just can't put into words to be standing in front of you today as the first ever metro mayor of our wonderful, dynamic, creative and diverse West Yorkshire region."
She thanked her agent, husband, daughters and campaign team and "the people of West Yorkshire".
She said: "You came out and grasped the opportunity to, at long last, take decision making out of the hands of strangers in Whitehall and bring them closer to home to the people of West Yorkshire.
"Devolution is our opportunity to make West Yorkshire an even better place to live, work, study, raise a family, start a business and grow old."
She added: "Growing up on free school meals, in a Birstall council flat, inspired by the Batley Variety Club to pursue life as an actor, I never imagined I would be elected as a Member of Parliament in my home town, let alone be asked to serve as the first ever metro mayor of West Yorkshire.
"The first ever woman metro mayor in the country.
"Our politics are better when women are at the top table.
"And I hope, in some small way, my election will say to working class kids across our region, it doesn't matter where you live, what your parents do for a living, how much money you have in the bank or where you went to school, you can reach the very top."
Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “This is a historic moment.
"West Yorkshire has elected its first mayor - a woman - and this is a milestone achievement in terms of both representation and the wider devolution agenda.
"Tracy's election concludes a Labour Mayoral hat-trick across the M62 in these elections - but if the party wants to extend its support across the North, it should appoint its own visible lead for economic rebalancing.
“Four years after the first Mayoral Elections, across the North turnout is up and voters are starting to see the value in empowered local leaders, answerable to the communities that elect them.
“Mayors like Andy Burnham, Steve Rotherham and Ben Houchen are now household names, they’ve become true champions for their city regions and it’s paid off massively at these elections.
"Voters trust them to lead a recovery - now we need government to respect their mandates.”
Because the role involves responsibilities for the police, the former Coronation Street star will stand down as MP for Batley and Spen - where she's sat since previous MP Jo Cox was murdered in 2016.
That means a by-election is likely as soon as mid-June, though Labour will have some control over exactly when it takes place.
The West Yorkshire seat was won by Ms Brabin in 2019 but her majority shrank from around 9,000 in 2017 to just 3,525.
That is almost the same majority as Hartlepool, whose 3,595 majority was demolished by the Tories this week.
Like Hartlepool, the area backed Leave in the 2016 referendum.
Unlike Hartlepool, the Brexit Party performed poorly in 2019 - suggesting the Tories would have more of a struggle to claim the seat.
That said, independent Paul Halloran did won 6,432 votes in Batley and Spen on a ticket of a "clean Brexit", law and order, and restoring a full local A&E department.
Barry Sheerman, MP for nearby Huddersfield, told the Financial Times: "It will be a challenging by-election, as by-elections always are.
"I think the party is aware of that, but I think as long as we get the right candidate it is winnable.”
