Labour Party: Can Starmer end divisions and galvanise voters? – BBC Newsnight

Labour hold on Batley and Spen by 323 votes – but does holding on to a safe seat by a thread take Labour any closer to Downing Street? Please subscribe HERE http://bit.ly/1rbfUog

Labour’s Kim Leadbeater has narrowly won the Batley and Spen by-election following a bitter campaign.

After defeating her Conservative rival by just 323 votes, she said constituents had "rejected division" and "voted for hope".

It means she will now represent the seat previously held by her sister Jo Cox, who was murdered there in 2016.

But does the victory really ease the pressure on Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer after recent election defeats for his party?

Newsnight’s political editor Nick Watt reports.

#LabourParty #BBCNews #Newsnight

Newsnight is the BBC’s flagship news and current affairs TV programme – with analysis, debate, exclusives, and robust interviews.

Website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsnight
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BBCNewsnight
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsnight