The West Midlands is full of untapped talent and potential. My Growth Plan is about unlocking opportunity - for everyone, in every place. It’s not about politics or paperwork - it’s about the people in our region.

Out on the number 87, speaking to people who rely on buses every day. People need to know when their bus is coming, and when things change. Better information at bus stops is a simple change that would make a real difference.

Every young person deserves a fair chance to get started in work. We’ve now hit our target of 20,000 work experience, training and apprenticeship opportunities across the West Midlands - well ahead of schedule. I visited @BCFC to see some of this work in action. Seeing young people like Summer build skills and discover what they’re capable of before they even leave school or college. One opportunity can change someone’s future. I want more young people across the West Midlands to get that chance.

We're putting more than £5.5m into accommodation and support for people sleeping rough across the West Midlands, with a bed for everyone who wants one, and help to stay off the streets. I was out at 4am talking to people sleeping rough and hearing about the challenges they’re facing. Too often, support comes when someone has already reached crisis point. We need to get better at preventing that, and making sure people get help when they need it. Nobody should have the need to sleep rough in the West Midlands.

Today, at the start of Birmingham Tech Week, I announced £10m for a new AI Skills Academy which will help 50,000 people develop the AI skills our region's innovators need. The West Midlands tech sector is worth more than £16bn a year. I want us to go even further. I want to help more businesses here grow, put AI to work and make the most of the opportunities ahead. There’s brilliant work happening across our region. I want more local people to have the skills to be part of it.

These comments are racist, misogynistic and utterly abhorrent. Resigning from Reform UK is not enough. These men should resign as councillors immediately. They do not represent the values of the West Midlands or the people they were elected to serve.

I've had a constructive discussion with the Director General this morning and am encouraged that keeping The Archers in Birmingham remains on the table. Let's be clear: The Archers belongs here. Over the last 75 years, the world’s longest-running radio show has become part of the fabric of this city and region. Moving it elsewhere would be the wrong decision. It would be a blow to our creative sector, our economy, and our cultural identity. I am ready to work with the BBC in whatever way I can to achieve the outcome we all want to see: The Archers staying right here in its rightful home.

I want to be clear. There’s no place for groups like this in the West Midlands. There's nothing patriotic about racism, intimidation and aggression. Everybody should be able to feel safe here. This is a region for everyone. No one should be made to feel unwelcome because of who they are or where they come from. birminghammail.co.uk/news/mi…

I’m investing £100m in our creative industries to make the West Midlands the best and easiest place in the UK to make TV and film. I visited the set of The Cadburys and met local people doing brilliant work behind the scenes. One lived ten minutes up the road. Another was from Dudley. One told me that, for the first time in eight years, they could finish work on set and sleep in their own bed that night. That’s what I want to see more of. More opportunities for local people to build careers in an industry they love, right here in the West Midlands.

The Archers was born in Birmingham and is a key part of our broadcasting heritage. I’m very disappointed by news that the BBC plans to move its production out of the city. The BBC has made clear commitments to growing its presence in the West Midlands - especially with the move to the Tea Factory. So, moving one of its most established programmes out of the region sends the wrong message. We have the talent and the facilities here. There is no good reason why we should lose a programme that has called Birmingham home for decades. I’m meeting the BBC’s Director-General, Matt Brittin, this week. I want to understand the reasons behind this decision and discuss every available option to keep The Archers here. The BBC promised to invest and support our regions, this is entirely the opposite of that. And it can’t be allowed to happen. birminghammail.co.uk/whats-o…

19,000 potential offences in just two weeks. Truly shocking. We trialled the use of AI cameras in Birmingham and Wolverhampton with our police and fire services to find out what’s really happening on our roads. People using phones behind the wheel. Not wearing seatbelts. Children travelling on laps without proper restraints. It's frightening to see. As we review the results, I’ll use every resource available, including technology like this, to make our roads safer for everyone.

We’re taking control of our buses because we need to make them better. I want to hear from the people who use them every day. What matters to you? Reliability, safety, affordability or accessibility? Tell us what needs to change. 🚌

Out in Tamebridge today with Paul Moore, leader of Sandwell Labour, and local councillors. Talking to residents about what matters to them. It’s great to hear what people think about the new Prime Minister. How much they like and approve of what he's saying and doing. They know Labour is on their side.

The West Midlands is the only place you can build a lightweight EV sports car. The guys at Longbow get that. So we’re backing them with £3m to build thousands of these cars, giving a boost to our supply chain and creating hundreds of new jobs.

Good ideas are not enough. You need to make them happen. The West Midlands became an industrial powerhouse because thousands of people learned to just get on and turn ideas into things. We have brilliant researchers, engineers and businesses here in the West Midlands developing new technologies and solving big problems. We need to turn those ideas into companies that grow, products that are made here, and jobs that stay here. That means new manufacturing. Inviting more businesses to come to this region to make their mark. And making sure companies have the support they need to succeed. Britain’s first industrial age began here. The next one can begin here too. That’s what today was all about.

It’s taking too long to get investable projects off the ground in the West Midlands. So today, I’m opening our £3.8bn West Midlands Futures Fund to private sector projects. If you’ve got a serious scheme that can create jobs, build homes or bring new investment into our region, bring it to us. We can put public investment alongside private investment to help get projects moving and get spades in the ground faster. wmca.org.uk/news/mayor-opens…

Really enjoyed getting out campaigning today! After everything discussed at the conference this week, it was good to get out and talk to people about it. Knocking on doors in Walsall with Valerie Vaz. And helping launch Caroline Reid’s by-election campaign alongside @SoniaKumarMP in Dudley. There’s a genuine feeling of positivity. A sense that things are on the up under the new PM. A busy and very good day!

Proud to see Bradley Taylor become Birmingham’s Poet Laureate. I’ve heard him perform a few times and invited him to the launch of our growth plan last year. He was fantastic. A brilliant ambassador for Birmingham and its creative talent. Congratulations, Bradley!