What should Keir Starmer do with the Batley and Spen win?

Coffee House Shots

The Spectator

News, Politics, Government, Daily News

4.4 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 2 July 2021

⏱️ 12 minutes

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Summary

In an extremely close race Labour candidate and sister to the late Jo Cox Kim Leadbeater has won her by-election with a majority of just 323. What will the opposition do with this narrow but note worthy win? And is it time to for the tories to admit they aren't as invincible as they first thought? To discuss Katy Balls is joined by James Forsyth and Isobel Hardman.

Transcript

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0:31.0	Hello and welcome to Coffee House Shops and Spectator's Daily Politics Podcast.
0:34.5	I'm Katie Balls. I'm joined by James Forsyfe and Isva Hardman.
0:39.1	And the result of the Batley and Sp spend by election is in. And James,
0:43.6	it isn't what I think had been widely tipped, which is a Tory win, instead Labor have managed to narrowly hold on. Tell us the details. Yeah, so Labor have held the seat by 323 votes, despite
0:50.1	George Galloway getting more than 8,000 votes. And I think this result wins Kirstama some breathing space.
0:57.1	I think there had been an expectation in Westminster,
0:59.4	but Labour would not hold on to the seat
1:01.7	and that that would then precipitate another crisis in Kirstama's leadership.
1:06.9	Instead, because Labour have held,
1:09.2	I think Kirstama has some time. I think he has a little bit more,
1:13.7	not much, but a little bit more authority in his party. And I think some of those who've been
1:17.9	quite kind of semi-obviously scheming against him have had their wings clipped by this. I think also
1:25.2	on the Tory side, I think there will be disappointment. I think they
1:28.3	expected to take the seat. I think, you know, if you look at the number of mentions of it that
1:33.4	was shoehorned into Prime Minister's question time on Wednesday, I think that was a sign of Tory
1:38.0	confidence. I think there is a feeling on the Tory side, but combination of the news in the last
1:42.8	week, the Matt Hancock business, and a kind
1:45.2	of poor technical campaign in terms of getting out the vote has cost them for seats. So I think it will
1:52.2	dent their morale, while at the same time, I think it gives Kirstama an opening here. I think he
1:57.3	has, he's going to Batley today. I think he has a chance to say, look, people in
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