Born in Banbury, Oxfordshire, Street moved to Birmingham with his parents, both scientists,[4] when he was ten months old, growing up in Northfield and Solihull.

[10] The announcement of his appointment came weeks after the news that John Lewis would open a flagship store in the newly developed Grand Central shopping centre above New Street station.

[10] In 2015, he became lead non-executive director for the Department for Communities and Local Government as well as a member of Prime Minister David Cameron's Business Advisory Group.

On 29 September 2016, Street was officially selected by Conservatives to stand in the first election for Mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), which took place on 4 May 2017.

In a speech at the 2016 Conservative Party conference, Street declared his support for Birmingham's bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

[18] Street was endorsed by The Lord Jones of Birmingham, a businessman and crossbench peer who formerly served as Minister of State for Trade and Investment under Gordon Brown.

[21] Street lobbied the government to integrate the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) role within the mayoral position in time for the 2020 election, later postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[26] In June 2020, Street signed a plan to create a West Midlands National Park, in cooperation with councils in and around the city-region.

He warned that the rumoured decision to scrap the railway line would be missing "a once in a lifetime opportunity to level up", and damage the UK's international reputation for investors.

When Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced in his conference speech that Phase 2 of HS2 would be cancelled, with its capital spend redistributed into transport projects across the regions, he said:I say this to Andy Street, a man I have huge admiration and respect for, I know we have different views on HS2.

[36] Street later outlined plans with the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham to revive the high-speed rail project with private investment.

[46] The role of the PCC was set to be abolished and its functions transferred to the Mayor in time for the next mayoral term following the election, however the incumbent Labour PCC Simon Foster took legal action against the process and the High Court ruled in his favour, preventing the scheduled merger of the roles prior to the election.

Street has been an outspoken critic of continually-rising business rates, arguing that "property is the way retailers have made money historically and we need a system that is a reflection of the future", though he does not believe that online transaction taxes are the answer.

[8] In the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, Street initially endorsed Jeremy Hunt,[50] but after he withdrew, supported Liz Truss.

[51] After Truss announced her resignation as Prime Minister in October 2022, Street stated that he did not regret supporting her candidacy for Conservative Party leader.

[52] Street was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2015 Birthday Honours for services to economic growth.