Prime Minister, Theresa May, was out pounding the streets and rallying the troops in Dudley on Saturday as the General Election campaign got under way in earnest.

Seeking a strong mandate for Brexit negotiations - the PM made her first visit of the campaign a stop off in the Leave heartland in the Black Country.

After knocking on doors in Sedgley with councillor Les Jones, who is hoping to represent Dudley North in the forthcoming Parliamentary election, Mrs May gave a rousing speech to Conservative Party members and journalists at Netherton Conservative Club. She told the packed room:

"Every vote will be a vote for a strong and stable leadership to take this country through Brexit and beyond, it's only the Conservatives who can provide that strong and stable government."

She added that "The Black Country is a very important battleground for the election. Every vote that's cast here is going to be important for the future of our country."

The Conservative candidate in the West Midlands Mayoral race, Andy Street, said it had been "brilliant" to have the PM with him on the door step just 11 days away from the mayoral election on May 4.

Stourbridge MP, Margot James, said the Prime Minister's decision to make the Black Country the location for her first campaign rally of the election shows "Dudley, the Black Country and the West Midlands really matter to her - not just because we have got a lot of marginal seats that we need to win but because we're at the heart of manufacturing, industry and job creation".

The Prime Minister's visit follows swiftly after Labour Party deputy leader, Tom Watson, stopped off in Dudley on Thursday to help launch Ian Austin's election campaign.

Mr Austin has pledged to make education one of his top priorities and he is urging people in Dudley North to not just consider national issues but to vote for the best person on the ballot who can represent the area.