According to a recent biography, Keir Starmer reportedly contemplated stepping down as the leader of the Labour party following their loss in the 2021 Hartlepool byelection.
Starmer suffered a setback when the Conservatives won the County Durham constituency, which had been held by Labour since its inception in 1974. However, after almost two and a half years, Labour has regained the lead in the polls and celebrated a double victory by winning the byelections in Wellingborough and Kingswood on Friday.
According to a new book published in the Times, the Labour leader confided in his close advisors after the Hartlepool loss that he planned to resign, but was convinced to stay on.
Former close aide Chris Ward informed biographer Tom Baldwin that Keir expressed his belief that he would have to step down due to the party’s perceived decline and saw it as a personal rejection. Ward advised him against making any hasty decisions, but it was a turbulent few hours.
In his book, Starmer, who took over as leader of the Labour party in April 2020, discussed the loss. He stated, “This is not some long-held aspiration of mine. I would be content working in a bookstore or something similar.”
The book stated that Starmer’s spouse, Vic, advised him against acting too quickly. Morgan McSweeney, a significant individual and the current director of campaigns for Labour, also played a crucial role in keeping Starmer in his position.
Starmer has issued a reply to Donald Trump’s warning that he will not defend countries he deems inadequate in their financial contributions to Nato. He stated that he will stand in support of our allies should he be elected as prime minister.
The leader of the Labour party stated to the Sunday Telegraph: “We need to focus on building, renewing, and providing resources, instead of causing divisions and making threats. Engaging in deceitful politics puts our security at risk.”
Labour has recently experienced a successful period, achieving their greatest change in a byelection since 1994 by overturning a majority of over 18,000 in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.
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In the election, Gen Kitchen emerged victorious with a total of 13,844 votes, surpassing the 7,408 votes received by Conservative candidate Helen Harrison.
In the town of Kingswood in South Gloucestershire, the Labour party won the election for Chris Skidmore’s previous seat, overturning an 11,220 vote lead held by the Tory party. Damien Egan received a total of 11,176 votes, while the Tory candidate, Sam Bromiley, received 8,675 votes, resulting in a 2,501 vote majority for Labour.
The government has suffered two byelection losses, bringing the total number of defeats since the 2019 general election to nine.
Source: theguardian.com
