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The Greater Manchester mayor, who experts believe could be a frontrunner to replace Sir Keir Starmer, rejected the notion that a loss in the on-going by-election would be the end for the Labour Party. The by-election result for the West Yorkshire constituency is seen as a litmus test for Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership over the party. At time of writing, votes are being counted after polls closed at 10pm.<\/p>\n
When asked on BBC Question Time whether a Labour defeat in Batley and Spen would be the “final nail in the coffin” for the party, Mr Burnham rejected the idea.<\/p>\n
He said “No, absolutely not.<\/p>\n
“The constituency is not what you might typically call a red wall seat where there’s been a Labour majority forever.<\/p>\n
“This is a seat which is more marginal and always has been.<\/p>\n
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“It would be serious. This is a real challenge not only for Keir Starmer and the Labour party but for the Left more broadly.”<\/p>\n
Also speaking on the programme, Tory MP David Davis believed a poor result won’t be the end for the Labour party.<\/p>\n
He said: “I’ve seen both parties be on their uppers, and then come back from it.”<\/p>\n
The West Yorkshire seat has been owned by Labour since 1997, meaning a loss would put yet another dent in Labour’s Northern Red Wall.<\/p>\n
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Labour’s candidate in the by-election is Kim Leadbeater, the sister of former Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox, who was murdered in the constituency in 2016.<\/p>\n
Mr Burnham went on to explain how the Tories have misled voters with a false narrative.<\/p>\n
He said: “We’ve lived through a decade now where quite wealthy and privileged people on the right or even the hard-right of politics have posed as the friends of working class people.”<\/p>\n
Mr Burnham added that Labour has “failed to counter the narrative” and warned the party has become more divided than ever.<\/p>\n
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