Labour can learn a lot from this critical battle, says Starmer
THERE IS a lot for Labour to learn from its narrow victory in the Batley and Spen by-election, the party’s leader Sir Keir Starmer said yesterday.
Kim Leadbeater’s surprise triumph has highlighted the “critical battle” between “decency and integrity versus half truths and manipulation”, said Sir Keir.
Speaking to journalists following his visit to the constituency, Sir Keir said: “What we saw here was that those core values that Kim embodies – that are the values of the Labour Party – in the end bring people together and are very persuasive.
“Those core values of bringing people together, of decency and integrity versus misinformation and manipulation, untruths and half truths.”
He went on: “I think there’s a lot to learn from Batley and Spen on politics and the critical battle between decency and integrity, honesty and truth versus misinformation untruths, half truths and manipulation.”
When asked specifically what could be learned from the race, Sir Keir referred back to Jo Cox’s maiden speech, and the “core and central lesson” it identified, “that whatever differences of opinion we may have, we do have more in common with each other than we have that separates us. That’s why it’s very important when we’re making arguments in ‘red wall’ seats or any other seats that we are rooted in our communities, we are rooted in those values and we share the priorities of those that we want to vote for us,” Sir Keir said.
Speaking about the abuse she and others suffered, new MP Ms Leadbeater said: “I just hope we can all agree that our politics is better than that.
“We shouldn’t be having that sort of behaviour.”
She said: “I’m really looking forward to it but I do think there’s a broader conversation to be had about what politics looks like in the UK. And I’ve spent the last five years working in the Jo Cox Foundation to try and improve civility in public life.”
She added: “I’m now in the middle of it and things do need to change.
“We need to look at how we speak to people we disagree with.”