PMQs: Boris Johnson says Labour ‘jabber and we jab'

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Speaking to Express.co.uk, Tory candidate for the seat and councillor, Ryan Stephenson claimed the Labour Party had taken the area for granted over time. The seat has been held by the Labour Party since 1997 and could spell the end of the current leader if he were to lose the seat following the devastating defeat in Hartlepool and minuscule numbers in Chesham and Amersham this month. While voters have questioned what the party stands for, in contrast, Mr Stephenson claimed the public has praised Boris Johnson for delivering on Brexit but also the vaccine rollout.

Mr Stephenson said: “What is coming up on the doorstep, is that people want change.

“And what I think they mean by that, is that having voted for Labour for 24 years, they feel like they’ve been taken for granted. “

The seat, like many across the Midlands and North, had been considered as part of Labour’s ‘red wall’ before the Tories smashed through multiple areas in 2019.

With Brexit now delivered and the UK heading towards the final stage of the Government’s coronavirus plan, Mr Stephenson added voters have seen the Conservatives “had delivered” while Labour is ravaged with internal politics.

Mr Stephenson said: “I think right across the constituency, the general feedback, I’m guessing is that people don’t know what Labour stands for anymore.

“And the reason why people are turning away is because they look to the Government and they’ve seen during a difficult year, we’ve had a successful vaccine rollout.

“We’ve had over 65,000 people here now vaccinated with more getting their second jabs.

“Now, I think people see that you’ve got on one hand, a party led by Sir Keir, which is spending a lot of time looking inward.

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“The candidate here is talking about factional issues within the Labour Party.

“I think they look on the other side and see a positive plan for getting more jobs, more apprenticeships, more police and plans for investment in the area.”

In the Chesham and Amersham by-election result, Labour only received 1.6 percent of the vote share – a fall of 11.2 percent since 2019.

While the seat has never been a Labour target, Sir Keir was forced to make a raft of changes within the party amid fears the Opposition may lose in Batley and Spen.

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Former adviser Morgan McSweeney, who helped run Sir Keir’s leadership campaign, will now be moved to a new role.

This came just a day after two senior communications officers, Ben Nunn and Paul Ovenden, both stood down from the party.

With Labour struggling to define itself under Sir Keir, a poll by Survation has placed the Tories ahead of the Opposition in the seat.

In the poll conducted between June 9 to 17, the Tories are expected to win 47 percent of the vote.

In contrast, Labour’s candidate Kim Leadbeater – sister of previous MP Jo Cox – is expected to win only 41 percent in what would a terrible loss for the Opposition although the poll was based on a small sample size of 510 people.

If the poll is proved true, some MPs such as former Shadow Cabinet member Diane Abbott have called for Sir Keir to be replaced.

According to the Daily Mail, some allies of former Jeremy Corbyn have plotted to remove the current leader.

The 2021 Batley and Spen by-election will take place on Thursday, July 1.

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