The Batley and Spen by-election will be held on 1 July, it has been confirmed. Results announced early Friday gave the Labour candidate, Kim Leadbeater, a win of just 323 votes over her Conservative Party rival, Ryan Stephenson, after an acrimonious contest in Batley and Spen, one of Labours traditional heartland seats in northern England. The by-election was triggered in May when the areas former Labour lawmaker, Tracy Brabin, was elected to another job as West Yorkshire mayor, requiring her to step down from Parliament. The deadline for new proxy vote applications was 16 June. We fought an incredibly positive campaign and did very well to reduce a long standing Labour majority, several decades old, to 323, with the third biggest swing in favour of the government since the war. An ethnically diverse seat, about 20% of the population is from an Asian background, with just under 19% being Muslim. 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. Tracy Brabin quit as Labour MP for Batley and Spen after winning the West Yorkshire mayoral contest, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. It had been tipped for July 22nd but will actually be held on July 1st. Added to that, of course, is that important date in everyone in Englands calendar: 21 June, when normal life and an end to coronavirus restrictions will come into being. . This story will be updated as soon as the results are declared - check our widget below to find out who has won: Something went wrong, please try again later. Ultimately, it is George Galloways campaign which could decide the outcome of this election. Read about our approach to external linking. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. The by-election will be seen as a test for Labour after it lost the Hartlepool by-election to the Conservatives on 6 May. Kirklees is one of the areas where people have been encouraged to "minimise travel" due to the spread of the Indian variant. He's been campaigning in traditional Labour territory and is said to be winning support from some Muslim voters because of his pro-Palestine stance. Batley and Spen by-election - BBC News [73] He was also highly critical of a dog whistle claim, by an anonymous Labour source, that Muslims were angry about "what Keir has been doing on antisemitism". 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. Read about our approach to external linking. So we have to sort it out. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Labour's Kim Leadbeater celebrated victory in the by-election, The Conservative candidate Ryan Stephenson had to settle for second place. This cannot be achieved by chasing a fixed centre ground of the broadly satisfied, something which no longer exists. Batley and Spen by-election: Nail-biter for Labour as count gets under On the subject of the thread, I expect Labour to win but with a very slim majority. She was appointed Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds on 10 May, vacating her Commons seat. [31], The Greens selected rugby player Ross Peltier on 2 June. [49][50], More than 20 per cent of the electorate are of south Asian origin, and were a major focus of electioneering by Workers Party candidate George Galloway, who concentrated on the issues of the Palestinian territories, the Kashmir conflict, criticism of Labour leader Keir Starmer, the suspension of a teacher for showing a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad at Batley Grammar School and the reopening of a police station in Batley. Explosion derails train in Russian border region, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Trump says 'great to be home' on visit to Scotland, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home, Trevelyan relative 'would consider' famine payment, JP Morgan snaps up troubled US bank First Republic. [30] On 3 June, Conchie withdrew for health reasons, and was replaced by Tom Gordon, a councillor in Knottingley. Batley and Spen has been represented by a Labour MP since 1997. "[71] He went on to say, "Keir Starmer won his position as leader on a promise to be electable. "[73], Some Jewish groups welcomed Galloway's defeat in the polls. His campaign sought to win support from voters unhappy at the party's stance on issues including the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, and the disputed territory of Kashmir, claimed by both India and Pakistan. Read about our approach to external linking. I think with this seat there are a number of points to note/consider: 1. Since he took the job of leader last year, Mr. Starmer, a former top prosecutor, has tried to unite the party after it was routed in 2019 parliamentary elections under the stewardship of Jeremy Corbyn, its left-wing leader at the time. It is blatant and anyone can see it. In . The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Labour fought hard to retain Batley and Spen, which was represented in Parliament by Ms. Leadbeater's sister, Jo Cox, until she was murdered by a far-right fanatic in 2016. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. [64][65] Analysis in the i newspaper suggested that George Galloway's socially conservative stance may have attracted some Tory-leaning voters, and that the Green Party's decision not to field a candidate may have proved beneficial to the Labour Party. Sir Keir, who welcomed it as a "fantastic result", will head to the seat on Friday to congratulate his party's victorious candidate. Although Labour held off the challenge from Mr. Galloway, its share of the vote in Batley and Spen was lower than in the 2019 general election. Thread starter Tropical Wave; Start date Jun 3, 2021; 1; 2; 3 . The battle for Batley and Spen - a by-election like no other | ITV News According to the bookies Ladbrokes the Tories were overwhelming favourites to gain the seat, giving them odds of 1/5, with Labours Leadbeater chalked up at 7/2 for a much-needed Labour victory. Read about our approach to external linking. Jo Cox did more in her short life than most. 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). Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? [3][4] The by-election was the fourth of the 58th Parliament, elected in 2019.[5]. In the 2016 EU referendum, Batley and Spen voted 60% in favour of Brexit.[8]. We think that in a foreseeable future those who have received double jabs will then according to our classification be able to travel again without going into quarantine. Stephen Bush is the former political editor of theNew Statesman. At the 2019 general election, the Labour majority in the constituency decreased significantly, with a 12.8% drop in vote share by comparison with the 2017 result. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The crucial point is that here in the UK we have now built up a very considerable wall of immunity by our vaccination programme. Who will win the Batley and Spen by-election? Is climate change killing Australian wine? And in my view it is better off risking that the advantages of a long campaign outweigh the drawbacks: not least because going the week before feels like an invitation to the government to bring the reopening forward a bit (which the clinical data suggests it could do). The German chancellor said she raised the issue with Boris Johnson during their talks at Chequers. 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. Kim Leadbeater held the seat for the Labour Party with a reduced majority of 323 votes. Labour's Tracy Brabin, the previous MP for the area, had a majority of 3,500 votes. The German chancellor talked about width of the UK and Germanys cooperation and relationship, with a treaty and a yearly meeting of the two countrys cabinets. "[69] His Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, claimed that Starmer's leadership was the key factor to Leadbeater's victory, telling Sky News, "Keir will take us into the next election and I believe that result, in the early hours of Friday morning, is the start of more victories for Labour. The campaign in West Yorkshire was marred by acrimony, personal abuse and allegations of dirty tricks. You are using an out of date browser. The Batley and Spen By-Election Showed Britain's Political Class Holds Muslims In Contempt Our new issue on nationalism is out now. Sixteen candidates in total ran in contest. [33] The Greens then confirmed they would not stand in the by-election.[34]. Why Batley's by-election is . And we did so by showing that when we are true to our values decency, honesty, committed to improving lives then Labour can win., Labour Holds On to U.K. Parliament Seat, Easing Pressure on Its Leader, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/02/world/europe/labor-by-election-victory-batley-and-spen.html. [36] The Social Democratic Party confirmed the nomination of Ollie Purser to stand on 3 June. Votes will then be counted overnight, and the result is expected in the early hours of Friday morning. That could pose a challenge for Labour, considering June 21 is the date when all coronavirus- related restrictions are supposed to lift, meaning the optimism that we have seen benefit the . Batley and Spen by election 2021 - the results - YorkshireLive Batley and Spen: Labour narrowly hold seat in by-election LONDON Britains opposition Labour Party on Friday scored an unexpected if narrow victory in a battle for an open Parliament seat that was widely seen as a critical test for the partys leader, Keir Starmer, who has been under pressure for failing to revive the partys fortunes. 1 Home Entertainment Tech Resource. View our online Press Pack. 2021 Batley and Spen by-election - Wikispooks Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds, resignation of Health Secretary Matt Hancock, "Is Batley and Spen Labour's next by-election headache? It's been Conservative before, right up until 1997, and Labour's majority of 3,525 means the battle will be fast and fierce. She said she believes that pragmatic solutions can be found on the issue of the Northern Ireland protocol so that both the integrity of the single market is maintained and acceptable solutions are created. Voters are going to the polls in the Batley and Spen by-election on Thursday to decide their new MP. Take our personality quiz to find out, Answer 10 lifestyle questions to see which Windsor you most closely resemble ahead of the King's Coronation, Britain's Got Talent fans spot show 'leak' as act 'gives away' semi-final spot after scraping through auditions, Dancing duo Romeo & Icy mentioned the semi-finals as if they had been confirmed for the line-up, Super League recruitment guide as Matthew Shaw provides club-by-club transfer picks. Leadbeater is the sister of Jo Cox, who had been the MP for the seat before she was murdered in the constituency in 2016. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The No. Ms Brabin won the seat in 2019 with a 3,525 . 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. 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