Batley and Spen by-election loss would mean curtains for Starmer, says Abbott

Losing the Batley and Spen by-election would mean “curtains” for Labour leader Keir Starmer, former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott has suggested.
Abbott wrote in a Guardian article that Starmer’s time at the top of the party could be over if he fails to hold on to the West Yorkshire seat this summer. Pressure is mounting on the opposition leader, who has been in charge since April 2020, following Labour’s loss in the Hartlepool by-election, with Boris Johnson’s Conservatives taking another brick out of the so-called “red wall”.
Abbott said:
This West Yorkshire constituency has different demographics from Hartlepool. Support from the large minority ethnic electorate may enable the party to hold the seat and Starmer to hang on as Labour leader.
But if Labour loses again, it must surely be curtains for him.


Read on...
She talked up the chances of Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham succeeding Starmer, saying another Labour defeat could mean his “time will have come”.
The former health secretary has refused to deny suggestions he could try to make it third time lucky should there be another leadership contest, having lost out in 2010 and 2015.
It comes as the Conservative Party announced its candidate for the Batley and Spen by-election will be Leeds councillor Ryan Stephenson, chairman of the West Yorkshire Tories.
Congratulations to @Stephenson_Ryan on being selected as @Conservatives candidate for Batley and Spen.
Ryan will be a strong voice and campaign for jobs and investment for Batley and Spen as we build back better https://t.co/YaVkUyrbJL
— Amanda Milling (@amandamilling) May 19, 2021
Shortlist
The seat – held by Labour since Tony Blair won power in 1997 – is up for grabs after former MP Tracey Brabin quit Westminster following her election as the first mayor of West Yorkshire.
Applications are open for the Labour candidacy, with the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to draw up a shortlist on 22 May and members choosing the final pick on 23 May, sources have confirmed to the PA news agency. The process has been criticised because it will potentially allow a non-Labour member to become Labour’s candidate:
People should not be afraid to say that a person who isn’t a labour member with zero track record in the labour movement, whose politics haven’t been scrutinised at all, is likely not the best candidate to be an MP. https://t.co/slenwerEUs
— Josh Jackson (@JoshuaYJackson) May 19, 2021
Starmer now takes the Labour Party to new levels of absurdity.
We will have a Labour MP who is not a member of the Party; a Party member who cannot sit as a Labour MP; led by a senior lawyer with no respect for the rule of law, who creates arbitrary rules as required. https://t.co/wDq3ek20hZ
— Simon de Jever (@de_jever) May 20, 2021
Bloody hell they're pulling the exact same trick that worked such a treat in Hartlepool https://t.co/4erF9rDMGQ
— Ally Fogg (@AllyFogg) May 19, 2021
I've seen good candidates turned away due to length of membership, I absolutely hate that the party waives the rule when it suits them.
Unless you've been in a politically restricted role, it shouldn't be waived. https://t.co/r09uOmWgB1
— Kerri (@_KerriPrince) May 19, 2021
It hasn’t yet been announced when the by-election will be held, but speculation is that late July is being considered.
Heaven and Earth
Speaking during a visit to a bus factory in North Yorkshire with London mayor Sadiq Khan, Brabin said she would “move heaven and earth” to make sure Labour won the race.
Kim Leadbeater, sister of murdered former Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox, has announced she will be putting her name forward. Brabin said:
I’m determined that we’re going to keep Batley and Spen Labour. Kim is an exceptional woman but there’s other candidates, as is my understanding, so it will be down to the constituency Labour Party to make that choice.
But, to be honest, whoever is the candidate, I’ll move heaven and earth to make sure we keep Batley and Spen Labour and I think we’ll do it.


Chaos
Leadbeater, who established the Jo Cox Foundation in honour of her sister, said she would take her “more in common” message into the campaign if selected by Labour. She told the Spenborough Guardian:
Anyone who knows me or has met me knows that I’m very much my own person. I’m not Jo. I’ve got my own views, my own priorities, my own ideas and dreams for the future of this area.
Others rumoured to be interested in standing include Paula Sherriff, the former Labour MP for Dewsbury.
It’s understood the selection could have been carried out sooner, but the chaos surrounding the sacking of Angela Rayner as party chairman is thought to have delayed the process.
We need your help to keep speaking the truth
Every story that you have come to us with; each injustice you have asked us to investigate; every campaign we have fought; each of your unheard voices we amplified; we do this for you. We are making a difference on your behalf.
Our fight is your fight. You’ve supported our collective struggle every time you gave us a like; and every time you shared our work across social media. Now we need you to support us with a monthly donation.
We have published nearly 2,000 articles and over 50 films in 2021. And we want to do this and more in 2022 but we don’t have enough money to go on at this pace. So, if you value our work and want us to continue then please join us and be part of The Canary family.
In return, you get:
* Advert free reading experience
* Quarterly group video call with the Editor-in-Chief
* Behind the scenes monthly e-newsletter
* 20% discount in our shop
Almost all of our spending goes to the people who make The Canary’s content. So your contribution directly supports our writers and enables us to continue to do what we do: speaking truth, powered by you. We have weathered many attempts to shut us down and silence our vital opposition to an increasingly fascist government and right-wing mainstream media.
With your help we can continue:
* Holding political and state power to account
* Advocating for the people the system marginalises
* Being a media outlet that upholds the highest standards
* Campaigning on the issues others won’t
* Putting your lives central to everything we do
We are a drop of truth in an ocean of deceit. But we can’t do this without your support. So please, can you help us continue the fight?
-
Show Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversationPlease read our comment moderation policy here.
Stammer the spammer step down I rather doubt it thick skinned his he and would have to be pushed out