"We squeaked it over the line and there are some serious concerns," he told the BBC News Channel. By Anoosh Chakelian (Photo By Christopher Furlong/Getty) Surely, this will boost the governments standing yet further, but it also means Labour faces a choice: the partycould, if itwished, hold the by-election on the last Thursdaybeforethe easing of restrictions, the earliest date itcould legally hold the contest. Starmer says byelection win shows 'Labour at its best' and is 'just the start', Tory party co-chair suggests Matt Hancock's conduct helped Labour hold Batley and Spen, Galloway says he will take court action to challenge byelection result, Batley and Spen byelection results in full, Starmer welcomes fantastic victory for Labours positive campaign of hope, Starmer hails Labour revival after Kim Leadbeater wins Batley and Spen, Kim Leadbeater: political novice who will not toe the line in Westminster, Britons with Indian-made AstraZeneca vaccine face extra EU travel hurdle, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Merkel says the Delta variant of Covid-19 is increasing very rapidly in Germany. Europe's busiest forums, with independent news and expert reviews, for TVs, Home Cinema, Hi-Fi, Movies, Gaming, Tech and more. She explains why shes ready to take on Coxs political legacy. Batley and Spen has been represented by a Labour MP since 1997. [54][53] On the same day the Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines, issued a statement distancing the United Benefice of Batley from the candidacy of Jayda Fransen, after campaign literature was distributed showing Fransen holding a white cross outside of St Thomass church. He denies his aim is to split the Labour vote but it could mean the Tories could take the seat for the first time in nearly 25 years. One was the fact that Labour has struggled in by-elections recently and lost Hartlepool, for example. [24] Leadbeater had only recently rejoined the Labour Party,[25] with the Batley and Spen CLP waiving the requirement of a year's membership prior to her selection. However, the national narrative will be about how the result reflects on the direction and popularity of both the Labour and Conservative parties. While Labour starts in a better position structurally in Batley and Spen than Hartlepool, the political mistakes that were besidethe point in the last by-election may be more important in this one. That result added weight to the idea that support for Labour had collapsed in the red wall, former industrial areas of England in which Prime Minister Boris Johnsons Conservatives have been making big inroads. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. [59], On 28 June, the Labour Party was criticised for distributing a leaflet featuring a photo of Boris Johnson with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. It sets up another by-election in a Labour seat that had a large third-placed vote for a pro-Brexit party in the 2019election albeit, in this case, represented by the Heavy Woollen Independents, one of a number of local Ukip parties to enjoy a fairly successful second life as independents following the Brexit vote. It had been tipped for July 22nd but will actually be held on July 1st. Kirklees is one of the areas where people have been encouraged to "minimise travel" due to the spread of the Indian variant. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. She beat second-place candidate the Conservatives Matt Robinson by 101,786 votes. Jo Cox's widower Brendan Cox said Ms Leadbeater had been "incredibly brave" to put herself forward, and he was "incredibly proud" of her. "Britain first" were the words used by the murderer of Cox, although the organisation denied any connection to themselves. And in the middle of this ugly cacophony stood a newcomer to politics whose sister was murdered in this constituency just five years ago. Labour currently holds this seat with a majority of just 3,525. And, of course, that Labours success insqueezingthe other parties of the centre and left down has gone unremarked is part of itspoor political and media management following the local election results. Well I don't know about anyone else, but I read that some hunky young rugby champ was standing for the Greens.now I know it's possibly yet ANOTHER carefully chosen winning candidate but if I lived there, he'd get my vote. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. This by-election is more winnable for Labour on paper, but mistakes that didnt matter in Hartlepool may well matter in Batley. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Yorkshire breaking news and updates sent straight to your inbox. The seat was held by Labour with their candidate Kim Leadbeater being. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. No. There are risks to both approaches: really the one date we can say with confidence Labour should avoid is the 24thJune (the first Thursday after restrictions ease). Stephen Bush is the former political editor of theNew Statesman. Mr Galloway, standing for the Workers Party of Britain party, had targeted Labour voters with the aim of toppling Sir Keir as Labour leader. ", "How tragedy propelled a former actor into politics", "Jo Cox's Batley And Spen Seat Will Not Be Contested By Conservative Party, David Cameron And Jeremy Corbyn Set To Pay Joint Tribute", "Batley & Spen parliamentary constituency Election 2019", "Three Hundreds of Chiltern: Tracy Brabin", "Batley and Spen: Labour's by-election headache", "Who will win the Batley and Spen by-election? Your new guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture each weekend from the New Statesman. It may not display this or other websites correctly. [30] On 3 June, Conchie withdrew for health reasons, and was replaced by Tom Gordon, a councillor in Knottingley. Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature, Kim Leadbeater wins narrow victory in Batley and Spen byelection, After Batley reprieve, Starmer has hard task ahead to win over doubters, Anger over Hancock a factor in Labour byelection win, says Tory co-chair. The deadline for postal vote applications, and changes to existing postal and proxy votes, was 15 June. [75], Galloway himself vowed to challenge the result on the basis of an alleged "false statement" made about him by Leadbeater and Starmer, which he claimed tipped the result of the by-election.[76]. Polling booths opened at 07:00 BST and will remain open for people to cast their ballot until 22:00 BST. The victory will be a big relief for Mr. Starmer, who faced criticism in May when his party lost a by-election in Hartlepool, another former stronghold in the north of England. The Christian Peoples Alliance (CPA) confirmed the nomination of Paul Bickerdike on 3 June. Johnson was asked about the byelection result and how the campaign was run. Labour picking a candidate who is the sister of the ex MP killed and has been a member of the party for a month is a blatant attempt to exploit that tragic event. Before the result in Batley and Spen, there had been news media speculation that Mr. Starmer would be vulnerable to a leadership challenge if Ms. Leadbeater lost, as many were expecting. [21], On 12 May, The Guardian reported that Jo Cox's sister, Kim Leadbeater, and former Labour MP Paula Sherriff were among Labour's potential candidates. What is Entryism, and how does it affect political parties? It's a by-election like no other - one of the candidates is the sister of the murdered Labour MP Jo Cox . George Galloway, who stood under the banner of his Workers Party of Britain with the explicit aim of splitting the Labour vote and destabilising Starmers leadership, came third with 8,264 votes. The election this week of the sister of Jo Cox, a lawmaker who was killed in 2016, was seen as a victory for Labours leader in a region where Prime Minister Boris Johnsons Conservatives had made big inroads. The Batley and Spen by-election will be held on 1 July, it has been confirmed. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules. It comes after the Conservatives took Hartlepool, a once rock-solid Labour seat in May, alongside losing more than 300 councillors in England's local elections. The Conservative candidate Ryan Stephenson came second with 12,973 and George Galloway, standing for the Workers Party, third with 8,264. Labour narrowly held on to Batley and Spen as Kim Leadbeater took 13,296 votes, against 12,973 for the Tory candidate. The by-election will be seen as a test for Labour after it lost the Hartlepool by-election to the Conservatives on 6 May. She emphasised that the by-election was not a referendum on Labour party leader Keir Starmer. The seat was held by Labour with their candidate Kim Leadbeater being returned to Parliament. Many had expected that the Conservatives would take the seat, which Labour has held since 1997, because of the spoiler campaign of George Galloway. In his election literature, Mr. Galloway had called on voters to abandon Labour to increase pressure on Mr. Starmer and force him out of his job. A Survation poll published last week put the Tories on 47 per cent, up 11 per cent from the 2019 general election, while Labour was on 43 per cent. News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. She was murdered by a far right racist terrorist thug. Polling suggested the Conservatives could snatch the seat from Labour which could increase the pressure on Starmer after his party lost in Hartlepool and lost its deposit in Chesham and Amersham. Kim Leadbeater held the seat for the Labour Party with a reduced majority of 323 votes. But we know that Batley and Spen is a different place to Hartlepool, with different local concerns. Thread starter Tropical Wave; Start date Jun 3, 2021; 1; 2; 3 . Like 'PC gone mad' before and 'virtue signalling' its buzz phrases that are thrown in to debates often without any actual relevance to the discussion. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Historically this community were strong supporters of the Labour Party, but there has been discontent at the waiving of Labour party rules to allow Leadbeater to be the only local candidate in the selection process, excluding local councillors from the community. It's been Conservative before, right up until 1997, and Labour's majority of 3,525 means the battle will be fast and fierce. Five years after Jo Cox MP was murdered in her constituency, her sister is standing for Labour in a crucial byelection there. [58] On 27 June, former MP Tracy Brabin and a group of Labour campaigners were attacked by three men. Thankfully the Eurosceptic GBP were not impressed by this emotional blackmail and voted accordingly. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Voting in the by-election took place on Thursday after a campaign marred by claims of intimidation, including one episode in which Ms. Leadbeater was heckled aggressively and another that led to the arrest of a man on suspicion of assault in connection with an attack on Labour supporters. Labour has held the seat of Batley and Spen since 1997, so a victory might well sound like it was expected. Read about our approach to external linking. Read about our approach to external linking. This is not a traditional "red wall" seat - it was Tory until 1992 2. When will we know who has won the fiercely contested by election? Triggered by the election of former MP Tracy Brabin as West Yorkshire Mayor, the by election has been one of the most tightly contested and closely watched in recent history. Brabin had held the seat since the 2016 Batley and Spen by-election, which was called after the murder of Jo Cox, the seat's incumbent MP. Labour fought hard to retain Batley and Spen, which was represented in Parliament by Ms. Leadbeaters sister, Jo Cox, until she was murdered by a far-right fanatic in 2016. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. [9][10] Elizabeth Peacock has been the constituency's only Conservative MP, serving from 1983 to 1997. Since the Brexit referendum in 2016, Mr. Johnsons Conservative Party has succeeded in winning over many of Labours core voters in working-class communities in the north and middle of England. By-election spotlights what's at stake for parties, Five teenage boys from Wakefield disappear as police issue appeal amid fears they boarded train to London, New pizza shop to celebrate opening by offering first 100 customers free pizza, Celebrating the King's Coronation in Dewsbury, Batley and Spen, 'Brave' member of public helps stop suspected meat theft from Bradford supermarket, Why former head of BBC Yorkshire has written his debut novel about euthanasia, Choir is on song after successful charity concert at Silsden, Russia launches missile attacks on Ukraine, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, JP Morgan snaps up troubled US bank First Republic. The by-election result is expected to come at around 05:00 BST on Friday. Andrew Scattergood, co-chair of the Momentum campaign set up to campaign for former leader Jeremy Corbyn, said Labour could not "portray this as a massive victory". [26], On 19 May, the Conservative Party announced that it had selected Harewood councillor Ryan Stephenson as its candidate for the by-election. Merkel said she hopes the contacts among young people between both countries can be revived. The No. It would be a painful result for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer - but not necessarily unexpected. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Johnson has said sporting events are being opened up in a very careful and controlled manner after Merkel expressed concern about the numbers attending Euro 2020 matches at Wembley. Batley and Spen By-Election: Labour set to lose another brick in their crumbling Red Wall Paul Krishnamurty 04 June 2021 The Tories haven't won Batley and Spen since 1992 Join View market Twitter Facebook Reddit WhatsApp Telegram View the Betslip Another pivotal by-election is looming in Labour's Red Wall. The Yorkshire Party, which came third in the West Yorkshire mayoral contest, has confirmed its candidate in the by-election will be Corey Robinson, who is a senior medical research engineer. Following talks with Johnson at Chequers, she said Germany wanted to underpin it with a new cooperation treaty. The Batley and Spen by election has seen a mammoth 16 candidates battling for votes. With Brabin winning the vote to become mayor it meant she had to stand down as an MP in Westminster. A by-election was held in the UK parliamentary constituency of Batley and Spen on 1 July 2021, following the resignation of the previous Member of Parliament (MP) Tracy Brabin, who was elected Mayor of West Yorkshire on 10 May. Maybe ask the mods to change it to a thread about all Westminster by elections as there are a couple coming up and another possible fairly soon. 1 Home Entertainment Tech Resource. Batley and Spen by-election: Polls open as 16 candidates vie for seat 1 July 2021 Batley and Spen by-election IAN S/GEOGRAPH Votes cast in the by-election will be counted in nearby. The New Statesmans global affairs newsletter, every Monday and Friday. On this occasion, parking was the issue that Leadbeater had added to her little notebook of voters complaints.