Diane Abbott and John McDonnell should stop 'trying to derail' Keir Starmer, says Lord Mandelson
2 July 2021, 11:53
Lord Peter Mandelson reacts to Labour win in Batley and Spen by-election
Diane Abbott and John McDonnell "need to stop trying to derail" Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, Lord Peter Mandelson has told LBC.
The Labour life peer gave LBC his perspective, after his party won the the Batley and Spen by-election.
Labour candidate Kim Leadbeater won the seat having received 13,296 votes, a majority of 323 over Tory candidate Ryan Stephenson.
Speaking of Mrs Leadbitter, the sister of murdered MP Jo Cox, Lord Mandelson said: "She represents a real sense of hope".
Lord Mandelson then went on to address Sir Keir Starmer's standing as Labour Party leader.
Kim Leadbeater: Labour has 'work to do' despite victory
He said: "Well those like Diane Abbott and John McDonnell and other supporters of Jeremy Corbyn, they are very busy trying to hold Keir Starmer back and make life difficult for him.
"They want one thing. They want to shackle him and the party to the policy programme that had no credibility in 2019 at the last election.
"They want to tie us to everything else that has cost four general elections in a row during the last decade.
"I mean my message to them is that they need to stop trying to derail [Sir] Keir and allow him to turn Labour into an election-winning party again, and that's what I hope they'll do."
READ MORE: Nick Ferrari challenges Tory MP who claims 'we didn't lose' Batley and Spen by-election
READ MORE: Batley and Spen: Kim Leadbeater helped defeat politics of fear and division
