Kim Leadbeater’s local roots, determination and plain speaking helped her pluck the narrowest of victories from expected defeat
Whenever Kim Leadbeater was asked if she would follow in her sister’s footsteps and enter politics, she would always say no – for two reasons: “One was because I swear too much. The second was because I’m not very good at toeing the party line.” Will she be less inclined to speak freely now she is a Labour MP? “Will I ’eck!” she scoffed.
It is Leadbeater’s brand of buzzy familiarity and Yorkshire plain speaking that rescued Labour from a third devastating byelection defeat in as many months, perhaps saving Keir Starmer’s leadership with it.
