Sir Keir is once again performing preemptive damage control for an election he senses Labour may lose. He did it for the Hartlepool by-election, and now he’s doing it again for Batley & Spen. Call him Captain Hindsight all you like; here, he’s practically clairvoyant…

Despite meeting Labour candidate Kim Leadbeater in the constituency last week, bumping elbows and smiling for the cameras, Starmer immediately declared the “Batley and Spen by-election is not about [him]“, and is instead all about local issues. A convenient excuse if things go wrong. Guido wonders whether he’ll take “full responsibility” again if Labour lose…

It’s also not true: Batley & Spen may well be all about him. New polling in The Times shows that Starmer’s personal support amongst British Muslims has plummeted well below the party’s overall average, with insiders fearing that Starmer’s unpopularity will cost Labour the seat. Batley & Spen has a large Muslim population, and with George Galloway determined to kneecap Starmer over Israel-Palestine, it looks like local issues will take a backseat for many when ballots are cast. Leadbeater’s new campaign leaflet outlines her position on Palestine/Kashmir, and Starmer basically made a canvassing pitch on the same topic last week in Parliament, so it’s not like they don’t know it…