Jo Cox’s sister Kim Leadbeater is heckled in street and chased by Muslim protesters
Jo Cox’s sister Kim Leadbeater is heckled in street and chased by Muslim protesters ‘over her support for LGBT rights’ as she fights Batley & Spen by-election for Labour in sibling’s old seat
- Ms Leadbeater, 45, is standing as Labour candidate in Batley & Spen by-election
- Poll was triggered by incumbent Tracy Brabin standing down to become mayor
- Video on Twitter showed Ms Leadbeater being confronted in the street
- Men demanded to know if she was opposed to ‘LBGT indoctrination in schools’
The sister of murdered MP Jo Cox was today heckled and chased by Muslim protesters over her support for LGBT rights as she campaigned to become the next MP in her sister’s old Yorkshire seat.
Kim Leadbeater, 45, is standing as the Labour candidate in next Thursday’s by-election in Batley & Spen.
The poll was triggered by incumbent Tracy Brabin’s decision to stand down to become the new mayor of West Yorkshire.
Today, a video shared on Twitter showed Ms Leadbeater defending herself verbally as she was challenged in the street about ‘LGBT indoctrination in schools’.
Before she walked away to her car and was repeatedly shouted at, she responded: ‘This is my community. Don’t come here and shout at me in the street. The Muslim community of Batley & Spen deserve better than this.’
The tweet showing the video, from online channel Byline TV, said Ms Leadbeater had been heckled by supporters of hard-Left former Labour MP George Galloway for ‘supporting LGBT rights’.
However, Mr Galloway, who is standing against Ms Leadbeater in the by-election, called the claim a ‘lie’ and said he had ‘never seen’ the man who shouted.
The sister of murdered MP Jo Cox was today heckled and chased by Muslim protesters over her support for LGBT rights as she campaigned to become the next MP in her sister’s old Yorkshire seat
He added that the individual had ‘confronted her on Kashmir’. Mr Galloway is standing in the seat for the Workers Party of Britain, which was formed in 2019.
After Ms Leadbeater was heard defending herself in the video, she began to walk to her car and was repeatedly shouted at by at least two men.
One demanded for her not to ‘walk away’, whilst another said: ‘Are you going to support Muslim parents who do not want their children to learn about LGBT indoctrination?
As she climbed into her car, the man added: ‘Are you supporting those kids?’
Afterwards, Ms Leadbeater told Byline Media that Mr Galloway had been across the road laughing at her whilst she was being confronted.
In response to the claim that the two men were his supporters, Mr Galloway said on Twitter: ‘This is a lie. The man is unknown to us. He apparently came from Birmingham.
Kim Leadbeater (pictured above with Labour leader Keir Starmer), 45, is standing as the Labour candidate in next Thursday’s by-election in Batley & Spen. The poll was triggered by incumbent Tracy Brabin’s decision to stand down to become the new mayor of West Yorkshire
‘I have never seen him before. He confronted her on Kashmir, apparently. But keep getting your clicks.’
It comes after Mail on Sunday columnist Dan Hodges revealed last week how he had been sent Whatsapp messages which listed ‘5 reasons why every citizen should NOT vote for Kim Leadbeater’.
One reason listed by individuals who were said to be part of Batley & Spen’s Muslim community read: ‘She is a lesbian and will push the LGBTQ agenda in our town.’
The tweet showing the video, from online channel Byline TV, said Ms Leadbeater had been heckled by supporters of hard-Left former Labour MP George Galloway for ‘supporting LGBT rights’
However, Mr Galloway, who is standing against Ms Leadbeater in the by-election, called the claim a ‘lie’ and said he had ‘never seen’ the man who shouted
Polls have suggested Ms Leadbeater – whose sister was murdered in the run-up to the EU referendum in 2016 – is on track to lose next week’s contest comfortably.
Ms Brabin had a majority of 3,500 in 2019.
One senior Labour MP told MailOnline earlier this week that Ms Brabin should never have been allowed to stand for West Yorkshire mayor.
‘I don’t know why they called the by-election, why they didn’t leave it a few months,’ the MP said.
‘She shouldn’t have been allowed to stand in the first place. She should have been told, ”you can’t”.’
Another former Labour MP who knows the area well said they would not be surprised if the party came third but added: ‘That would be a disaster.’
The Conservative candidate in the constituency is Ryan Stephenson.
After Ms Leadbeater was heard defending herself in the video, she began to walk to her car and was repeatedly shouted at by at least two men
A senior Tory source involved in the campaign said: ‘We are worried about Galloway. The question mark is all about turnout.
‘We have got to get our vote out, and we should win it. I think Galloway will hoover up the Muslim vote – almost all of it.
‘He should get around 12,000 votes – although it depends on turnout. If we get 14,000 we should be alright. Labour look like getting 6,000.
‘Galloway is the threat. Labour is f*****.’
They added: ‘No doubt about it, I think Galloway has destroyed the Labour Party in this seat.’
The Tory campaigner said the PM had an ‘unbelievable’ response when he visited on Friday and was ‘cheered to the rafters’. ‘His popularity is very strong,’ they said.
Defeat in the by-election – let alone coming third – would be almost certain to trigger a left-wing bid to oust Sir Keir.
Last week, Labour turned in its worst ever by-election performance receiving only 1.6 percent of the vote in Chesham & Amersham – as the Lib Dems stormed the previously safe Tory seat.
Mr Galloway is standing in the seat for the Workers Party of Britain, which was formed in 2019
