Batley and Spen by-election: Voters react to the result

Labour's Kim Leadbeater held on to the seat of Batley and Spen by a slender margin. As the dust settles on what was at times an acrimonious campaign, the BBC asked voters for their reaction to the result.

Conservative voter Janet Gavaghan said the election of Kim Leadbeater did not come as a surprise.

"I thought she would probably get in, she's from Batley isn't she?

"You know being Jo Cox's sister, I think that was a big thing as well."

Ms Gavaghan said her priority was breathing life back into the town with new shops and stopping "illegal parking and boy racers".

However, she was not optimistic about changes happening.

"They all say the same thing and then it all ends up back to normal doesn't it?" she said.

Nazia Iqbal said it was the right result and that "Kim will unite people".

She said the election campaign had left her very anxious and claimed George Galloway was "divisive".

"My personal experience was that I had somebody knocking on my door and said to me 'Will you vote for George?' and I said no.

"And, instead of telling me the merits of voting for George, he said 'Well you're failing as a Muslim' and 'How are you going to face God on the day of judgement because you're failing the Palestinian people'.

"That was offensive to me and it was inappropriate. Tell me why based on his merits and what he is going to do for us why I should vote for him, not the fact that if I don't vote for him I'm a bad Muslim.

"I felt that was manipulative and inappropriate and a lot of people have been swayed by that.

Ms Iqbal said that Palestine was a "massive issue", but thought that "we need to deal with our local issues", including higher that average child poverty in the town.

Conservative voter Trevor Whittaker said he was not happy with the result.

"I think it's a sympathy vote for the sister and other parties are Muslim votes," he said.

"She won't reunite the community, it's going to always be divided."

The 77-year-old who has lived in the area all his life, said he was a Labour voter when he was younger, but switched his allegiance to the Tories in the 1970s when when mortgage interest rates went up under Labour PM Harold Wilson.

"I do think Galloway won it for Labour by standing," he added.

"Not the best, but it won't affect us."

Anna Watson, 36, said she was persuaded to vote for Kim Leadbeater because of the way she worked to "unite the community" after her sister's murder.

"With her being local and brought up here she knows our community more and what is needed locally rather than the other candidates, with them not being local," said Ms Watson.

She said she did not see much of the candidates on the campaign trail.

Currently unemployed after recently working in a Covid testing centre, Ms Watson said she hoped there would be more job opportunities in the town.

"I think she is going to do a good job and hopefully she'll follow in her sister's footsteps and Tracy's [Brabin] as well."

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