[The Weeping Angel]

Labour camp are sounding confident and bookies have slashed the odds on a Labour win. Hancock debacle?

I'm not sure where that's come from but it's a contrast with the mood before Hartlepool.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Think the Tories will win it. Nice bunch of Kippers for them to pick up from last time, and overall Tory score still pretty good.

Galloway might not get as many as some people think though.

[Oboogie]

Labour camp are sounding confident and bookies have slashed the odds on a Labour win. Hancock debacle?

Via Facebook I'm in touch with a number of people who have been canvassing there, in some cases for weeks. They are unanimously downbeat about Labour's chances. They report that Galloway has been effective in trashing Labour and they predict it will be enough to allow the Tories through. The one glimmer of hope seems to be Muslim women who, unlike their menfolk, don't seem to be buying the Starmer as "Islamophobic agent of Israel" trope, there are also a large number of undecideds - that's two glimmers, but I think we're in for a turbulent summer.

[Arrowhead]

Via Facebook I'm in touch with a number of people who have been canvassing there, in some cases for weeks. They are unanimously downbeat about Labour's chances. They report that Galloway has been effective in trashing Labour and they predict it will be enough to allow the Tories through. The one glimmer of hope seems to be Muslim women who, unlike their menfolk, don't seem to be buying the Starmer as "Islamophobic agent of Israel" trope, there are also a large number of undecideds - that's two glimmers, but I think we're in for a turbulent summer.

I'm clutching at straws right now, but perhaps Galloway being so transparently dreadful might actually backfire against the Tories because he ends up galvanising the Labour vote? "I was going to vote for Boris, but I hated how this Galloway guy treated the Labour lass", that sort of thing?

[Youngian]

Unusually large turnout of 70% being bandied about. Who that’s good for I don’t know.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Ought to be good for Labour given that they've worked much harder than the Tories. But I think the Tories will win.

[Crabcakes]

I’ve read that Labour are gloomy and upbeat, and the Tories are confident and having a serious wobble.

Which I suspect means it’s going to be bloody close.

[Oboogie]

There's a lot of undecideds which probably means nobody really has a clue.

[The Weeping Angel]

Oh no

[Oboogie]

I have a policy of not believing a word that comes out of George Galloway's mouth unless and until it is confirmed by a trusted source. It works for me.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Leadbeater wins by 300 votes.

>edited to mask innumeracy<

[Youngian]

Labour won and its possibly because Galloway has been collecting as many Tory/UKIP voters as Labour ones

[Malcolm Armsteen]

My post should say 300 votes, of course...

(It's a bit early...)

[Youngian]

Owen Jones claims Starmer’s team is full of axe wielders dedicated to cutting down ‘the left’ (obsessive Corbynite wreckers) of the party. Bloody hope so. Despite the caveats, Owen and his ilk put their cards on the table for Batley.

[Youngian]

Seen a lot of comments throughout the by-election about the lack of visibility from the Tories. Was that poor campaigning or deliberate to sit it out and let Galloway do the work?

[Crabcakes]

And now, of course, having caused all this bother and stirred up all this hate, Galloway will fuck off back to wherever he came from having achieved absolutely nothing other than quite likely handing Starmer victory by taking Tory votes - the absolute opposite of the one thing he wanted to do.

What a loser.

[Youngian]

Who else could attract a wider rainbow coalition (with just rain and no bow) of bigots and arseholes than Galloway? He’ll turn up in another costume somewhere.

A cast iron belief from Corbynbots Labour would lose Batley showed their zealotry and stupidity in equal measure. Only a fool bets the house on a by-election.

[Youngian]

Rod’s last cigarette before he grabs the pistol. Or maybe his words have no meaning.

[Arrowhead]

What a wonderful, unexpected result to wake up to! Not least because it pisses off all the right people - the Tories, the Galloway Left, gormless media commentators like Aaron Bastani etc

It seems that some local Tories have been lamenting that they "had it in the bag" a week ago, until Galloway ratcheted up the toxicity to unbearable levels. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of bastards, quite frankly.

Is it too much to ask that the next by-election is in a cuddly, Remain-leaning seat where Labour are the only realistic challengers and where the Tory majority is <10,000?

[soulboy]

Speaking of losers, Anne Marie Waters didn't break 100 votes and Jayda managed just 50.