Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer has urged supporters not to be complacent before the Wakefield by-election, adding that a victory “could be the cradle of the next Labor government”.
With Labor now the favorites to regain the seat, Starmer shared a message of hope and optimism with supporters at a rally in the city center on Saturday as his party tries to reverse the Conservatives’ takeover of the previous ones. majority Labor constituencies. in the north of England.
Standing on the steps of the Labor Party’s regional offices, Sir Keir addresses a large crowd of supporters alongside Labor candidate Simon Lightwood and shadow cabinet member Louise Haigh. Jonathan Ashworth. “It looks like we can come and play this. It feels positive. If we do it right, these Wakefield by-elections could be the cradle of the next Labor government,” he told the crowd.
However, he warned fans to remember “winning all the votes”, adding: “We just have to make sure we don’t get off the pedal now, there is no complacency. We know how difficult that is. We lost in 2019 “.
Wakefield has been a Labor stronghold since the 1930s, but addressed the Conservatives in 2019. Labor now has a chance to regain the seat in what Sir Keir called an opportunity to “make history”.
Following the resignation of Conservative MP Imran Ahmad Khan, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a child, a by-election was called with the Conservatives to select Wakefield councilor Nadeem Ahmed to defend the seat they won with a majority. of 3,358 in 2019. In statements earlier this week, Ahmed compared voter confidence in conservatives to faith in GPs despite the crimes of mass murderer Harold Shipman.
The poll is being held on the same day as the Tiverton and Honiton by-elections, following the resignation of Conservative MP Neil Parish in April 2022 after he was arrested for viewing pornography in the House of Commons.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was expected to visit the constituency on Friday to support the Conservative campaign, as well as speak at the Northern Conservative Research Group conference in Doncaster. However, he canceled to make his surprise trip to Kyiv.