Labour win Batley and Spen by-election easing pressure on Keir Starmer

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Don't miss a thing by getting the day's biggest stories sent direct to your inbox Sir Keir Starmer has hailed a “fantastic result” as Labour held Batley and Spen after a bitter by-election contest.

Kim Leadbeater won the West Yorkshire seat with a majority of just 323 – down from the 3,525 vote cushion the party had in 2019 – but the result was a surprise after opinion polls put the Tories in the lead and Labour insiders had feared the worst.

The victory will ease the pressure on Sir Keir, who had faced questions about his leadership after the loss of Hartlepool in a by-election in May, and will boost morale within Labour. READ MORE: Beloved dad found dead in his home named - a neighbour heroically tried to save him Ms Leadbeater secured