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‘Narrow win a wake-up call for Starmer’

Relief in Batley and Spen, but Labour left says close race proves need for bolder policy pitch

LABOUR must see its narrow win in a former safe seat as a “wake-up call,” Momentum said today as it urged party leaders to readopt a “transformative socialist vision.” 

Kim Leadbeater won the Batley & Spen by-election in West Yorkshire by just 323 votes, with Labour’s vote share down 20 per cent on the 2017 general election.

The Labour candidate won with 13,296 votes, down from 29,844 in 2017 and 22,594 in 2019.

Tory Ryan Stephenson secured 12,973 votes and George Galloway, standing for the Workers Party, polled 8,264.

A bitter campaign saw violence and abuse against Labour canvassers, the publication of fraudulent leaflets, claims of dog-whistle racism and homophobia, and attempts by right-wing extremists to divide the community. 

The far right’s presence was particularly unwelcome as MP Jo Cox, Ms Leadbeater’s sister, was murdered in the constituency by neonazi terrorist Thomas Mair in 2016.

After the result, Momentum co-chairman Andrew Scattergood said: “Thanks to the work of hundreds of grassroots activists and an excellent local candidate, Labour has held this seat. 

“But we can’t pretend that this was a general election-winning performance. Our vote share today was down 20 per cent on the 2017 general election.

“This narrow victory must act as a wake-up call for the leadership: we can no longer take Labour’s core vote, particularly Muslim voters, for granted.

“Labour needs to be a party that fights on the same side as working people and argues that workers, not billionaires, should control how society is rebuilt after the pandemic. 

“A transformative socialist vision can unite a broad working-class coalition, from workers in small towns to students in the big cities, and begin to turn the tables on a Tory government that has made Britain into a cash cow for the mega-rich privatisers.” 

Mr Galloway is thought to have won votes from the constituency’s significant Muslim community partly because of the Labour leadership’s stance on Israel and Palestine.

Former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said Labour’s victory was a great result but that the party’s policies needed “sharpening.”

“Above all, it’s a great result for Kim Leadbeater who had to face down a very ugly, homophobic campaign,” she said.

“Of course we need to continue to think about policy, to sharpen and better define policy, but we won and we’re moving forward.”

Blairite Labour peer and former cabinet minister Lord Adonis said the “tiny Labour majority of 323” would stave off any immediate challenge to the leadership of Keir Starmer, then added: “But obviously the situation is grim.”

Conservative Party co-chair Amanda Milling admitted that the behaviour of former health secretary Matt Hancock “was something that came up on the doorstep” during the campaign.

“They had some issues over the weekend in terms of what happened. Matt resigned and that was the right thing to do,” she said.

Much credit for Labour’s win was given to Ms Leadbeater, who has lived in the constituency all her life.

She said: “I think lots of people have made this by-election about lots of other things.

“For me, it was always about the people of Batley & Spen and getting them the right MP who cares for this area.

“So the national stuff is going to play out, of course it is. But for me it’s been about what’s right for this area and it will continue to be about that.”

Far-right candidates seeking to cash in on the publicity surrounding the by-election failed to secure more than 100 votes each.

Anne Marie Waters of For Britain, who was backed by far-right extremist and convicted fraudster Tommy Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – won just 97 votes.

And independent candidate Jayda Fransen, former leader of the far-right Britain First party, polled a mere 50 votes.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the result represented a “victory of hope over division” in a campaign “poisoned” by lies, harassment and intimidation.

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