Tracy Brabin, MP for Batley and Spen, is staying true to her word and quitting as an MP following her election as West Yorkshire Metro Mayor. Brabin has just been appointed Stewart and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern by Rishi Sunak, the ancient mechanism whereby an MP can quit. After Starmer’s dreadful weekend, the by-election could prove another headache for Labour. After the local election results, Britain Elects calculates the Tories have a very slight vote lead in the constituency, of 0.3%.
Batley & Spen constituency, local ward results [aggregate]:
— Britain Elects (@BritainElects) May 9, 2021
Con: 39.9% (+16.2)
Lab: 39.6% (-2.5)
LDem: 11.6% (-1.5)
Grn: 6.8% (+3.3)
Ind: 1.9% (-)
No UKIP (-15.7) as prev.
LE results not the best barometer for parliamentary support, but indicative of shifts nonetheless...
If Boris pulls off another by-election victory in a few weeks’ time, it could spell major trouble for Starmer’s leadership…
