Keir Starmer: Commentator discusses future of Labour leader
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Ms Rayner’s allies had reportedly been canvassing support for a potential leadership challenge should Labour have lost in the Batley and Spen by-election on Thursday. Experts saw the by-election in the West Yorkshire constituency as an acid test for Sir Keir’s leadership.
However, the party won a narrow majority, in what has to be viewed as a big win for Sir Keir as leader of the party.
A Starmer-supporting shadow cabinet minister told The Times: “She’s spent the last eight weeks promoting [herself] as the next Labour leader. A total embarrassment.”
The Minister added: “They actively helped [the effort] to defeat Labour.
“I think he should sack her and let her be deputy from the backbenches.”
Kim Leadbeater led the Labour party to victory in the Batley and Spen by-election, winning with a narrow majority of only 323.
Ms Leadbeater is the sister of the constituency’s former MP, Jo Cox, who was assassinated in 2016.
Ms Leadbeater gained 13,296 votes while her main Tory rival, Ryan Stephenson, pulled in 12,973.
The Conservatives were heavily tipped to win the seat, which Labour has controlled since 1997.
Following the Batley and Spen result, Labour supporters demanded Ms Rayner eliminate the conspirators.
Lord Peter Mandelson, former minister and party strategist, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “They were conspiring and they should now stop their whispering, their sort of agitation with Angela Rayner.
“She should realise these are not her friends.
“She has been egged on by people who are serving their own factional purposes and interests, not hers.”
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When a Times report of the Labour leadership challenge broke the day before the by-election, Angela Rayner quickly denied any knowledge of the plot.
She tweeted that the story was “news to me.”
A spokesperson for Ms Rayner also looked to deflect accusations, saying any support drummed up for the deputy leader’s challenge was “not done with Angela’s backing”.
Speaking on BBC Newsnight while the by-election results were being counted, Tory MP David Davis, suggested that, even if Sir Keir was ousted as leader, it wouldn’t heal the party.
He said: “Should they get rid of Starmer? Well it won’t solve their civil war, which is their recurrent problem at the moment, where they can’t really quite decide what they are.”
“Neither will it solve the problem they have.
“In the North East of England and the North of England, the left has failed to bring decent representation.”
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