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A perfect opportunity for Labour to develop bold new policies
The result in Batley and Spen ought to galvanise the party leadership to set out its vision for the future – but there are few signs this will happen any time soon, says IAN LAVERY MP
Batley and Spen

In the early hours of this Friday morning it was announced in a ‘shock’ result that Kim Leadbeater had done enough, and that Labour had held on to Batley & Spen.

Kim’s popular local appeal alongside an energetic campaign that was deeply rooted in the local community and omnipresent on the doorsteps thanks to an army of party activists was enough to hold – not win - a seat in that in 2017 backed Labour with a majority just shy of 9,000. 

The result comes in the backdrop of an aggressive campaign resulting in thousands of votes, mainly assumed to be from Muslim communities disillusioned with the current direction of the Labour Party and feeling their vote has been taken for granted for too long, going to third parties. 

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