Sir Keir Starmer's allies tell Angela Rayner to 'put the knives away' as Labour's victory in Batley and Spen by-election torpedoes leadership challenge

Sir Keir Starmer's allies told Angela Rayner to 'put the knives away' last night as victory in the Batley and Spen by-election torpedoed chances of a challenge against him.

The party leader claimed yesterday that 'Labour is coming home' as he insisted the 'against the odds' win was 'just the start' of a revival in its fortunes.

Ahead of the contest, Sir Keir had insisted he would not quit if Labour had lost, but supporters of his deputy, Mrs Rayner, were believed to be plotting a move against him. 

One of his allies last night said: 'Angela needs to put the knives away now. She looks like a splitter. Her doe-eyed routine has been completely ruined.'

Sir Keir Starmer's allies told Angela Rayner to 'put the knives away' last night following Kim Leadbeater's victory in the Batley and Spen by-election

And a senior Labour source said: 'Everyone's been calling this a referendum on Keir's leadership.

'Well we've won – bucked the trend, held on to this marginal seat and advanced in Tory areas. A fantastic result.'

On a celebratory visit to the constituency in West Yorkshire yesterday, Sir Keir declared: 'Labour is back. This is just the start. I want many more days like this. Labour is coming home.'

The party's winning candidate, Kim Leadbeater, paid an emotional tribute to her sister Jo Cox yesterday as she won the seat where Mrs Cox had been MP.

The 41-year-old mother-of-two was shot and stabbed by far-Right extremist Thomas Mair on June 16 2016, just days before the Brexit referendum.

Miss Leadbeater, 45, said yesterday was 'very emotional for me for lots of reasons', adding that Mrs Cox would have been proud of her. She said: 'She knew how capable I was.

Ahead of the contest, Sir Keir had insisted he would not quit if Labour had lost, but supporters of his deputy, Mrs Rayner (both pictured), were believed to be plotting a move against him 

'So she'd be absolutely delighted that I've got to this point. And, if I can be half the MP that she was, then I'll be doing a good job.'

The newly elected MP also called for a change in the way politics is conducted after suffering intimidation and abuse during a 'gruelling' by-election campaign.

Sir Keir said the result was a 'victory of hope over division' in a campaign 'poisoned' by lies, harassment and intimidation.

While George Galloway had taken votes from Labour, Sir Keir said the Tories had paid the price for failing to criticise his tactics.

'We won this election against the odds,' he said. 'The Tories thought they could sit back, say nothing about harassment and they were wrong about that.

'Kim has won this because Tories in Batley and Spen, former Tory voters, voted for her.

'The Left vote, the Labour vote, was split but we won.'

The party's winning candidate, Kim Leadbeater , paid an emotional tribute to her sister Jo Cox yesterday as she won the seat where Mrs Cox had been MP

Meanwhile, Lord Mandelson said it was a 'really important victory' and called for Sir Keir's critics to be quiet.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'There were elements of the Corbynite Left who seemed far too eager during this campaign for Galloway's presence to result in a blow to Keir Starmer and his leadership.

'While others were campaigning in Batley they were conspiring and they should now stop their whispering, their agitation of Angela Rayner.

'She should realise that these are not her friends. She has been egged on by people who are serving their own factional purposes and interests, not hers.'

He added: 'To paraphrase an old Clement Attlee quote about these elements, a period of silence on their part would now be welcome.'

The Labour former Cabinet minister said Sir Keir needed to use the party's annual conference in September to 'set out his stall properly'.