Starmer “not going to resign” if Labour loses Batley and Spen by-election

Keir Starmer’s spokesperson has declared that the Labour leader is “not going to resign” if his party loses the Batley and Spen by-election taking place on Thursday amid rising pressure on the opposition chief.

Asked whether he would quit as leader if Labour loses another seat to the governing party in a by-election, his spokesperson said: “No. Keir has been absolutely clear that this is a four-year path to get back into power. He is determined to lead the party into the next general election and to take us back into government.”

The spokesperson added: “Keir is not going to resign. What the British people are worried about at the moment is their jobs, their kids and the future of this country. That’s exactly what Keir is focused on.”

On the by-election and candidate Kim Leadbeater, the aide added: “We’ve never taken the people of Batley and Spen for granted and we know it was always going to be a challenging election. But we’ve got a fantastic candidate in Kim.

“She’s the only local candidate standing in the by-election and she’ll be a fantastic MP. In the final hours of the by-election, we’ll be fighting for every single vote.”

Asked about criticisms of the selection process, which saw Leadbeater allowed to run despite only recently joining Labour, he said: “Kim was selected by the local party and followed the usual selection process.”

New polling released today found that almost seven in ten Labour members believe Andy Burnham would make a better leader, and 41% said Starmer should resign if Batley is lost while 48% said he should stay.

On whether Starmer would like to see Labour leadership election rules changed, the spokesperson said: “That’s a matter for Labour Party conference… I’m not aware of any proposals to change those rules.”

Simon Fletcher, a former Starmer aide, has written a piece for The New Statesman in which he criticises the leadership for failing “to dispel the notion that Peter Mandelson is a guru for the party leadership”.

Asked today what is Mandelson’s role, Starmer’s spokesperson replied: “Peter is a Labour Lord but he has no formal role in the party.” He would not comment on how often Starmer and Mandelson speak.