Elections 2021: Conservatives win Hartlepool byelection, dealing blow to Labour – live

This result is a disaster. In 2017, we won over 50% of the vote in Hartlepool.

67% of voters in the constituency want to increase investment in public services, 57% agree with taking Royal Mail into public ownership, and 69% support free broadband.

A transformative socialist message has won in Hartlepool before, and it would have won again.

Starmer’s strategy of isolating the left and replacing meaningful policy with empty buzzwords has comprehensively failed. If he doesn’t change direction, not only will he be out of a job – but the Labour party may be out of government forever.