Hartlepool result is an ‘earthquake’ says political insider

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In the 2016 Brexit referendum, Hartlepool backed leaving the EU by 69.57 percent to 30.43 percent for remain. Yesterday’s episode of BBC Question Time asked the panel whether a Labour defeat in Hartlepool in a by-election mean ‘curtains for Keir’.

One audience member voiced their anger at Labour for putting Dr Paul Williams, a Remainer, up for election in a Brexit-supporting seat.

She said: “One of the problems is that there is a lot of infighting in the Labour Party, and I would like to see party that could give some proper vision, some proper ideas of how we’re going to come out of the pandemic.

“Not lots and lots and lots of empty promises to try and buy seats, but to try and make people’s lives better.

“Really, was it sensible to have somebody who was a Remainer to be standing in a by-election from somewhere which was very much keen on leaving the EU?

“I think that was a big mistake.”

It came ahead of Labour’s humiliating defeat in the consituency, with Conservative candidate Jill Mortimer storming to victory.

The Tories won Hartlepool with 15,529 votes to Labour’s 8,589, meaning a 6,940 vote margin of victory.

During her acceptance speech, Ms Mortimer said Labour had “taken Hartlepool for granted for too long”.

Dr Williams, Labour candidate for Hartlepool, broke the party whip under Jeremy Corbyn to support a second referendum on the EU.

Writing for Politics Home in 2019, he also once said: “No form of Brexit is better than the deal we already have as members of the European Union.”

However, in a recent interview with LabourList, he said he had since changed his mind on Brexit.

He told the outlet: “We’re outside of the European Union, I don’t want to go back.

“I want to make a success of where we find ourselves now.”

Jim MacMahon, Labour MP and Shadow Transport Secretary, conceded defeat in the Hartlepool by-election hours before the results were announced.

He told Sky News: “It’s pretty clear from the way the ballots are landing that we are not close to winning this despite our best endeavours.”

Sir Keir said ahead of the by-election he would “carry the can” should Labour lose Hartlepool.

However, Alex Norris, Labour MP for Nottingham North, said on Newsnight: “We are in the middle of that vaccine programme and the feel good factor.”

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