What a moment. What jeopardy.

Never let anyone tell you your vote doesn’t count.

This is a region of millions and millions.

With a gap between the Conservatives and Labour vanishingly small.

Here in Birmingham’s International Convention Centre, the tension palpable.

The power, so often held by politicians, held by the people.

The result was originally anticipated at 2:30pm. But that time came and went. So too did 3:30pm.

Then news of what are known as ‘bundle checks’ – where bundles of counted votes are checked again. And then news of a full recount in Coventry.

Conservative and Labour sources reckoned there were around just 2,000 votes in it – across the entire region.

Just after 20:00, Labour claimed victory – but we awaited the official result in Sandwell.

And then it came.

A Labour victory.

We shouldn’t be surprised.

The size of the swing to Labour in these elections elsewhere and their consistent national opinion poll ratings means they ought to be winning a race like this.

It actually tells us something we already knew about Andy Street’s capacity to outperform his party that it was so close.

He is a proud Conservative, but wears his affiliation lightly, and he came mighty close.

But Tories also talked up the prospect of him winning and so his failure to do so deepens the wounds of this week for Rishi Sunak.

Keir Starmer wears a broader smile tonight.