Labour's Kim Leadbeater wins Batley and Spen by narrow margin

LABOUR leader Keir Starmer received a boost in Batley and Spen on Friday (2), fighting off a challenge from the Conservatives to hang on to a parliamentary seat that if lost, would have heaped pressure on him to stand down.

Kim Leadbeater's win in Batley and Spen seat, which saw 13,296 to 12,973 votes in her favour, hands Starmer a reprieve from those questioning whether he is the right leader to rebuild Labour after the 2019 election disaster.

Prime minister Boris Johnson's Conservatives had been cautiously hopeful they could oust Labour from another northern English constituency after winning a contest in Hartlepool in May, a victory that led some to suggest Starmer might have to go.

"I am absolutely delighted that the people of Batley and Spen have rejected division and they've voted for hope," said Leadbeater, sister of Batley and Spen's former Labour MP, Jo Cox, who was murdered by an extremist in the constituency in 2016.

Starmer welcomed the "fantastic result" on Twitter saying: "Kim ran a positive campaign of hope, in the face of division. She will be an outstanding Labour MP for Batley and Spen."

With only 323 votes separating the two parties, the result in the by-election, which was triggered after the last Batley and Spen MP Tracey Brabin became a mayor, showed that neither party was able to capitalise on the other's weaknesses.

But Labour managed to hold its ground despite an attempt by firebrand leftist George Galloway, leader of the Workers Party of Britain, to split the main opposition party's vote in a race that was tarnished by accusations of dirty tricks.

The Tories may also have been hampered by a slew of scandals, including the resignation of Matt Hancock last month, who stood down as health secretary after he was caught breaking Covid-19 guidelines he had set by kissing his aide.