Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer called on his supporters not to be satisfied before the Wakefield by-elections, adding that victory “could be the birthplace of the next Labor government”.
As Labor is already a favorite to regain his seat, Starmer shared a message of hope and optimism with supporters in a downtown rally on Saturday as his party seeks to reverse the Tory’s “red wall” takeover of the former constituencies with a majority of Labor in the north of England.
Standing on the steps of the Labor Party’s regional offices, Sir Keir addressed a large crowd of supporters, along with Labor candidate Simon Lightwood and shadow cabinet members Louise Hay and Jonathan Ashworth. “Looks like we can reach out and touch that. It feels positive. If we understand each other correctly, this by-election in Wakefield could be the birthplace of the next Labor government, “he told the crowd.
However, he warned his supporters to remember to “win every vote”, adding: “We just need to make sure that we do not take our feet off the pedal now, there is no complacency. We know how difficult it is. We lost in 2019.
Wakefield has been a Labor stronghold since the 1930s, but turned to the Tories in 2019. Labor now has a chance to regain its place in what Sir Keir described as an opportunity to “make history”.
Following the resignation of Conservative MP Imran Ahmad Khan, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a boy, by-elections were called, with the Tories electing Wakefield councilor Nadezhda Ahmed to defend the seat they won with a 3358 majority in 2019. Speaking earlier this week, Ahmed compared voter confidence in the Tories to faith in GPs despite the crimes of mass murderer Harold Shipman.
The poll took place on the same day as the by-elections in Tiverton and Honiton, which were convened following the resignation of Tory MP Neil Parish in April 2022 after he was caught watching pornography in the House of Commons.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was expected to visit the constituency on Friday to support the Tories’ campaign, as well as speak at a conference of the Northern Conservative Research Group in Doncaster. However, he canceled to make his surprise trip to Kyiv.
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