Labour can learn from Kim Leadbeater, says Anas Sarwar

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has congratulated Kim Leadbeater after Labour won the Batley and Spen by-election.

The party held the Westminster seat by 323 votes after voters in the West Yorkshire constituency went to the polls on Thursday.

It was seen as a significant victory for Labour, having lost a seat to the Conservatives in the Hartlepool by-election in May.

Congratulations to @kimleadbeater and the @UKLabour team.

We can learn a national lesson from Kim – from her personality, her values and her campaign.

She focused on what unites us, not what divides us.

That’s how Labour wins again.
— Anas Sarwar (@AnasSarwar) July 2, 2021

Sarwar was among Scottish Labour figures to travel to the region during the campaign to elect Leadbetter, sister of the late Jo Cox, who was murdered by a far-right extremist in 2016.

On Twitter, Sarwar wrote: “Congratulations to @kimleadbeater and the @UKLabour team.

“We can learn a national lesson from Kim – from her personality, her values and her campaign.

“She focused on what unites us, not what divides us. That’s how Labour wins again.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also said that she was pleased to see Leadbeater elected, whilst referencing the divisiveness of the campaign.

She said: “You don’t have to be a Labour supporter to be pleased that Kim Leadbeater has been elected as MP for her late sister’s constituency.

“Observing from afar, the campaign looked ugly at times – made so by deliberate tactics from some quarters. It is good to see that defeated.”