Votes are being counted in a crucial By Election here in the uk. The Labour Party is hoping it can retain the Seat of Batley And Spen in the north of england but the race with the governing Conservative Party is tight. The contest has wider implications for politics in britain because many are seeing it as a test of the leadership of the Labour Party under Sir Keir Starmer. Lets talk to our correspondent at the account in huddersfield in west yorkshire. There has been a flurry of activity. Tell us what is going on. Us what is going on. Good morning. Us what is going on. Good morning, some us what is going on. Good morning, some answer. L us what is going on. Good l morning, some answer. All us what is going on. Good morning, some answer. All the talk here had been of the conservatives doing something that a Governing Party in the uk has not done since the second World War and winning two Seats at a By Election that it had not held before. But as things stand i dont think that will happen. Labour appear to be ahead by around 300 votes. The accounting has been done and the Labour Party seem confident that they are in a good place and going to win this. There are caveats to that. The conservatives have asked for a check of some of the candles, the big piles of votes that you can see in the Accounting Hole and that could potentially throw up some sort of discrepancy. It is possible that it could end up in a full recount. But as things stand it seems that the Labour Party, against the odds, looks set to hold onto their seed which would mean the new mp, can lead peter, a local person in Batley And Spen, someone quite popular, takes a Seat in the house of commons. That would be significant because her sister, jo cox, was the mp here After The Fall being murdered by a far right extremist in 2015 just before the brexit referendum. Potentially an upset on the cards although a strange sort of upset tonight where labour could be on course to hold onto the Seat. You where labour could be on course to hold onto the Seat. To hold onto the Seat. You said that if they to hold onto the Seat. You said that if they hold to hold onto the Seat. You said that if they hold onto to hold onto the Seat. You said that if they hold onto it to hold onto the Seat. You said that if they hold onto it would l that if they hold onto it would be against odds and you also reference the fact that this had been a safe Seat'>Labour Seat for many years. What has gone wrong . Why has it been a battle . In . In general The Party is going through a tough time. Had they lost this By Election i think there would have been much speculation about the future of the leader, Sir Keir Starmer. There are many critics on the left of the Labour Party of him. At some who supported him are worried about his performance so far. He is not leaving much of a mark on british politics and some people dont really know what his big vision is. The conservatives, the governing conservatives, the governing conservatives, borisjohnsons party, have been helped to an extent by the Vaccine Bounce we are seeing in the uk over the last few months. The Governing Parties in the uk did really well in local elections and national elections in scotland and wales a couple of months ago. So there had been that kind of sense that, particularly in the north of england, places where labour needs to do well if it is going to wind power, in those areas The Party was starting to lose quite significant support to the conservatives and we spoke a lot about putting more money into the north of england to some of these communities that have felt left out over the last 20 or 30 years in british politics. There is still some time to go here and were seeing anything with any certainty but if labour can hold onto this, which the signs are at the moment that that is the result of the first count, if they can hold on then i think for Sir Keir Starmer it gives him some Breathing Space to say, look, things are not as bad as people make it out to be. We have been written off here and we have gone against what many people expected and held onto the Seat. But it does not end some of the talk about the direction of the Labour Party and questions overjust where it is going on what vision it is offering the country and why it has lost some of the By Elections such as the Hartlepool Election a couple of months ago. That was solid labour territory, the area where people would joke that you would weigh evoked rather than counted. This is not always been a Seat'>Labour Seat, it has been a conservative Seat from its creation in the 80s up until Tony Burton in 1997. That said, the political analysis aside, the main thing from this is that if Labour Hold on here they will be mightily relieved. We will be back with you as soon as we do get some results there. Speaking now to Siena Rogers and Mo Hussein who worked as a Press Chief in Downing Street when David Cameron was Prime Minister. Have you both with us on the programme. Siena, you first. Just hearing how important this is the labour to hold onto and for Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour Party leader, how damaging could it be for labour if they lose . At be for labour if they lose . At the be for labour if they lose . Git the moment it looks as if labour may have just scraped a win. If labour loses the Seat it is obviously going to pine on even more pressure on the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer. They have been calls for him to resign if labour loses this Seat and even talks of a Leadership Challenge which i dont think its particularly likely because it is just too early in his leadership and for a number of other reasons. At the moment, however, it does look like labour could scrape a Win But Labour mps and the people in the area i have been speaking to have been saying that this seems to be down to labour get out the Vote Operation. On Polling Day The Party sends out activists to go and knock on doors and make sure that the promises they have been given, that people actually go out and vote and deliver on them. It looks as if labbs get out the Vote Operation may have made the difference and according to Activists Today it was really well done whereas mark wallaces reporting from conservative home, he reports that there is tory frustration about their get out the Vote Operation having serious limbs today. Interesting that that could have made the difference here because it is so close. Mo, what are you hearing about what could have tipped the balance here either way . T balance here either way . I think the only Day Operation is certainly think the only Day Operation is certainly coming up and given that there has been a Seat'>Labour Seat that there has been a Seat'>Labour Seat for that there has been a Seat'>Labour Seat for 24 years it will be different. Local infrastructure in place different. Local infrastructure in place in different local Sport In place in different local Sport In in place in different local Sport In place so i think if the Sport In place so i think if the result is, as it now looks, then the result is, as it now looks, then that the result is, as it now looks, then that will be something that then that will be something that is then that will be something that is certainly Conservative Hq that is certainly conservative ho will that is certainly Conservative Hq will want to look at again. But I Hq will want to look at again. But i also hq will want to look at again. But i also think the point being but i also think the point being that conservatives have been being that conservatives have been in being that conservatives have been in power for 11 years now and the been in power for 11 years now and the expectation should not be winning By Elections like this be winning By Elections like this so be winning By Elections like this so if be winning By Elections like this. So if it is close we will have this. So if it is close we will have to this. So if it is close we will have to see what happens, obviously. The scale of any labour obviously. The scale of any labour victory. What i think it will still labour victory. What i think it will still pose questions for the Labour Party because Sir Keir the Labour Party because Sir Keir Starmer said he would make The Party Keir Starmer said he would make The Party more electable. So, really. The party more electable. So, really, the majority should be increasing if that is the trajectory that he wants to follow trajectory that he wants to follow. Labour still need over 120 Seats follow. Labour still need over 120 Seats to even form a majority 120 Seats to even form a majority so this would be retaining a sea they already have retaining a sea they already have. But, again, lets see what have. But, again, lets see what the have. But, again, lets see what the results as. Have. But, again, lets see what the results as. Siena we are in the what the results as. Siena we are in the rounds what the results as. Siena we are in the rounds of are in the rounds of speculation but if it does go the way that we are thinking, that it could be a narrow win for labour, what does it say about the future of the Labour Party given that if they are win to an election they do not just need to win Seats that they already retain, they need to be overturning big conservative majorities. I conservative majorities. I think mos comments there were fair. Really, labourshould not be talking about losing not one but two Seats in a By Election to the Governing Party. That is an incredibly rare thing to happen anyway. And the fact that so many expected labour to lose this one as well, even if that does not, itjust says things about labour� s electoral prospect for the next General Election and obviously Sir Keir Starmer was elected, was chosen by labour members on the basis that he was the most delectable figure and i think The Party really needs a very good look at its electoral strategy. I think there are questions around whether it really shows the kind of respect that it should show for the Labour Voters that it does currently have. There has been a big focus on the redwall and capturing those voters they lost on the 2019 election but it looks to me that they need to look after their call voters well and i think that discussion will be coming up around the batley results. Ma. Around the batley results. Mo, what does around the batley results. Mo, what does any around the batley results. Mo, what does any potential result, a narrow win or a potential tory win say about the leadership of borisjohnson, leadership of boris johnson, given leadership of borisjohnson, given that, you know, he is a controversialfigure given that, you know, he is a controversial figure and there has been scandal within the government over the past week or so . Government over the past Week Orso . It government over the past Week Orso . , or so . It will be interesting to see how or so . It will be interesting to see how that or so . It will be interesting to see how that has or so . It will be interesting to see how that has played | or so . It will be interesting to see how that has played out because to see how that has played out because there is this whole thing because there is this whole thing around what really is on Pe0ples Thing around what really is on Peoples Agenda when they go to the Ballot Box and is it the scandals that are not insignificant and is it that kind insignificant and is it that kind of insignificant and is it that kind of issue or is it much more kind of issue or is it much more what matters on the doorstep around jobs, around investment, around better policing . So i think we will see policing . So i think we will see what the impact of that has been see what the impact of that has been. Also, what we know about this prime been. Also, what we know about this Prime Minister is we look at hartlepool for example, the ability at hartlepool for example, the ability and what happened in 2019 Ability and what happened in 2019 when we saw this really bil 2019 when we saw this really big shift 2019 when we saw this really big shift from labour to conservative, across the country conservative, across the country in parts that had never devoted country in parts that had never devoted conservative before. He has the devoted conservative before. He has the ability to cut through some has the ability to cut through some of has the ability to cut through some of the other stories and other some of the other stories and other mysteries going on and still win other mysteries going on and still win an election. And i think still win an election. And i think that is what gets him the sopport, think that is what gets him the support, even the mps who may not agree support, even the mps who may not agree with him on everything, sometimes through gritted everything, sometimes through gritted teeth they still have his support because they see him his support because they see him as, his support because they see him as, generally speaking, an election him as, generally speaking, an Election Winner and if that were Election Winner and if that were to Election Winner and if that were to change at all and change were to change at all and change in a significant and systemic way then i think his own systemic way then i think his own support would wane. But as things own support would wane. But as things stand he does have the ability things stand he does have the ability to things stand he does have the ability to rise above some of the Noise Ability to rise above some of the noise and still relate to people the noise and still relate to people on issues that matter more people on issues that matter more to people on issues that matter more to them. Mo people on issues that matter more to them. People on issues that matter more to them. A,,. ,. , more to them. Mo hussein, siana rouers, more to them. Mo hussein, siana rogers. Thank more to them. Mo hussein, siana rogers, thank you more to them. Mo hussein, siana rogers, thank you both. More to them. Mo hussein, siana rogers, thank you both. We more to them. Mo hussein, siana rogers, thank you both. We will l rogers, thank you both. We will be back with you as soon as we get a result which we hope will be imminent. Lets have a look at some of the days of the top stories. Lawyers for the Trump Organisation and its Chief Financial Officer, allen weisselberg, have pleaded not guilty to Tax Fraud at a court in New York. The prosecutor said thered been a sweeping and audacious illegal Payment Scheme at the former president s company. Our north america editor, jon sopel, is outside Trump Tower in New York for us. If you listen to the District Attorney, he makes it absolutely clear this is just following the facts and following the law, and that a Grand Jury has approved whats happened. Listen to the Trump Organization and you get a completely different story. Theres a long Statement Illjust read you a bit of it. After years of investigating, dozens of subpoenas, millions of documents and millions of dollars of taxpayers money, the manhattan das office has decided to charge select trump entities with providing a car and apartment. Make no mistake this is not about the law, this is all about politics. And Donald Trump will have been furious at the way he saw his Chief Financial Officer treated today. The powerful Money Man of Donald Trumps Business Empire Today led into court in handcuffs, surrounded by police a heavy handed and deliberate show of force by the new York Authorities. The charge is being led by the District Attorney, cy vance. Hed been hoping to flip Mr Weisselberg so that hed work with prosecutors, but the Trump Cfo is having none of it. And a statement from the Trump Organization spat defiance over the treatment of Mr Weisselberg after a short hearing, he left court charged with fraud, charged with giving perks to trump executives and Family Members that were never declared. On the face of it, these charges might seem, after a 3 year investigation, relatively minor keeping payments off the books but the District Attorney is making clear to Mr Weisselberg, whos just leaving court now, that this is the start of a process, not the end of it. Trump lawyers after the hearing were trying to sound upbeat. The company is very, very optimistic, uh, that, uh, and, uh, were certainly hopeful that there will not be significant effects. What Donald Trump desperately needs now is that he remains tough, because weisselberg is under pressure from the new York Authorities to tell them everything he knows. This isnt over nowhere near. Jon sopel, bbc news, New York. The us Attorney General has imposed a moratorium on execution as they review policies and procedures. The department has to make sure people were treated fairly and humanity. The current administration put 13 convicts to death and its office, ending a 17 year moratorium. The Boy Scouts Of America has reached a deal with the lawyers representing about 60,000 men over claims of historic sex abuse. This could help resolve the bankruptcy status. The organisation filed our protection from creditors last year, and the scale of abuse became apparent. Canadas National Holiday has been marked by protests following the recent discovery of unmarked graves of indigenous children. In his message, Justin Trudeau said it was right to reflect on historical failures in canada, and the injustices that exist for indigenous people still. Australia plans to halve its international arrivals because of the outbreak of the Delta Variant of Covid 19. The weekly intake will be cut to around 3000 people. Residents remain banned from leaving the country. More than 12 Million people are under stay at home orders and sydney, brisbane, perth, darwin, townsville and the coast. The government is under pressure over its vaccine rollout, with only 7 of the population being vaccinated. The idea of having a border restriction, and you know my views on those. And the idea of having lockdowns is based on the premise that Community Transmission would lead to serious illness, hospitalisation and vitality. So, if you have got the vaccination in place, what is the point . What is the point . And thats the Mindset Change that we have agreed today. Our mindset on managing Covid 19 has to change once you move from prevaccination to post vaccination. That is the deal for australians. Stay with us on bbc news. Still coming the key battle in the uk By Election of west yorkshire. China marked its first day of rule in Hong Kong with a series of spectacular celebrations. A huge Fireworks Display was held in the former colony. The chinese president Jiang Zemin said unification was the start of a new era for Hong Kong. The worlds first clone has been produced of an adult mammal. Scientists in scotland have produced a sheep called dolly that was cloned in a laboratory using a cell from another sheep. I for the first time in 20 years, i russian and american spacecraft have docked in orbit at the start of a new era of cooperation in space. Cheering and Applause Challenger powered past the Bishop Rock Lighthouse at almost 50 knots, shattering the record that had stood for 34 years, and there was no hiding the sheer elation of Richard Branson and his crew. This is bbc world news, the latest headlines all eyes in the uk on a key parliamentary By Election battle. We have got the latest. This is the senate live in huddersfield. Seen. That By Election has taken place in the north of england. Lets speak to our political editor. You have been up all night. We are seeing some movement in the Counting Hall and candidates are going to the stage. They will know the result now. They have been given the provisional results, and the question is now about whether any particular campaign wants to ask for a recount. We have seen it to bundle checks where they check the overall figures on the bundle of votes. It seems the Conservative Party asked for that, which must mean the Labor Party is ahead. The generalfigure that is the Labor Party is ahead. The general figure that is doing the rounds is that the Labour Party is ahead by about 300 votes. Labour. It is not conceivable that they could ask for a recount, the for a recount, the conservatives, for a recount, the conservatives, and so given the overall expectation going into this campaign, as Keir Starmer was saying, they have exceeded expectations. Whether this will be a victory is quite another matter altogether. There is kim leadbetter, the Labour Candidate taking along to the stage alongside other candidates. We are going to go straight to huddersfield and our correspondence is there. Hello, Labour Have claimed victory in this By Election. Sources are saying those bundle checks they were talking about havent led to any overturning of the result. There are some here not too happy about it. I understand George Galloway is already thinking about challenging the results. Lets have a listen into the official declaration, which i think is going to happen imminently. There is always a bit of jeopardy when you throw to somebody else over these things, but we are expecting that over the next minute or so. If that Labour Result is confirmed as The Party is now expecting, it is quite a significant upset. I am going to hand you over now the result. Applause. We are going to announce the result. We hereby give notice. The election is as follows. Make it out paul, christians people alliance, 102. Davis michael francis, commonly known as davis mike, greenes socialism, 104. France and jade, independent, 50. Galloway george workers� party, 8264. Gordon, thomas anthony, liberal democrats, 1254. However, alan, the official monster raving loony party, 107. Susan, heritage party, 33. Kim leadbeater, Labour Party, 11,296. Markovich, teresa, commonly known as hurst teresa, england democrats putting england democrats putting england first, 207. Purser, oliverjames nicholas, social oliver james nicholas, social democratic, oliverjames nicholas, social democratic, 266. Robinson, coreyjames, yorkshire party, corey james, yorkshire party, 816. Coreyjames, yorkshire party, 816. Smith, andrewjonathan, rejoined the eu, 75. Stevenson, ryan, Conservative Party candidate, 12,973. Thompson, jackjames, Uk Independence jack james, Uk Independence party, jackjames, Uk Independence party, 151. Tilt, jonathan richard, freedom alliance, supporting personalfreedom, 100. Waters, anna maria, the, 197. The number rejected our want of an official mark, zero, loading for more candidates for that rotor was entitled to, 30. Writing or mark by which motor could be identified, one. Unmarked or wholly void for uncertainty, 52. The total number of Ballot Papers rejected, 83. I hereby declare that to Michelle Leadbetter is duly elected. Leadbeater. Applause. Amiok am i ok to speak . Is it ok . Ok, iam not am i ok to speak . Is it ok . Ok, i am not going to speak too long because i think we are pretty tired, i know i am. It has been a gruelling few weeks. I want to say a few thank you. I want to say a few thank you. I want to thankjackie cadman, Returning Officer and her team for organising this evening, and all of the staff involved in doing the count tonight. I want to say a huge thank you to the police who, sadly, i have needed more than ever over the last few weeks. I want to say a huge thank you to the whole Labour Party team for the hours, time, and commitment they have put in to support me and help me get to this fantastic result this evening. Well done for keeping up, everybody. There are way too many people to mention by name, but i want to refer to my family and my friends, who without them i could not have got through the last five years. Never mind the last five weeks. I amazing years. Never mind the last five weeks. Iamazing parents years. Never mind the last five weeks. I amazing parents and my wonderful partner, and i want to give a special shout out to my Niece And Nephew who i can� t wait to hug as soon as i see them. Now, iwant wait to hug as soon as i see them. Now, i want to catch up on sleep, have a few glasses of fez, and then there is lots to do. The campaign has highlighted there is lots to do. I will crack on with it and do. I will crack on with it and do my very best to represent the whole of Batley And Spen as their new mp. I am absolutely delighted that the people of Batley And Spen have rejected division and they voted for hope. Thank you very much, everybody. Kim leadbeater, the new Labour Mp for Batley And Spen, winning the majority by 323. She gives thanks to have family and friends, referencing her Niece And Nephew, the children of her sister, jo cox, the former mp who was murdered. There she is now, taking that Seat, and we have our report there in the count and huddersfield. A very, very close win for labour, but they have won. Yes, just around 300 votes, but a significant result because the Labour Party had been really worried here that it was going to lose their Seat to the conservatives, that it lost thousands of votes to George Galloway who was standing here. In the end, and Labour Hq this morning i think they will be breathing a huge sigh of relief because this shows that The Party can win, it has those local candidates like kim leadbetter, who we just heard from. It can hang onto those Seats that it was really worried it was starting to lose in the north of england. Leadbeater. I imagine the leaders like Keir Starmer and will be having a sigh of relief, because less likely to have a challenge from the left. That doesn� t mean that labour is out of the woods. It has huge questions to answer over whether it can win back some of those other areas that it has managed to lose in the last few years. But, this had been, many thought, a Seat that the conservatives would win, as the candid hadn� t been as prominent but expectation had been from westminster that the conservatives would manage to win at the Seat because of the split in the vote between labour and George Galloway. In the end, Labour Have come through by the narrowest, narrowest of margins. Thank ou. Narrowest of margins. Thank yom lewis. Narrowest of margins. Thank you. Lewis, what narrowest of margins. Thank you. Lewis, what kind narrowest of margins. Thank you. Lewis, what kind of you. Lewis, what kind of reaction are you seeing to this . ~. , G Reaction are you seeing to this . S. ,. , this . We have received a Tweet Straightaway this . We have received a Tweet Straightaway from this . We have received a Tweet Straightaway from a this . We have received a Tweet Straightaway from a very straightaway from a very relieved leader of the Labour Party. He said, well done to the brilliant kim leadbeater, wonderful in the face of division. There is lots to going to, interesting set of results. We can talk about that, but let� s talk about national policy. This is really important for Keir Starmer, because what it does is gives him Breathing Space. If the conservatives had won the Seat, even by a narrow margin like that, 300 votes, what it would have done would continue to underscore the doubts about Keir Starmer� s ability to lead and The Party. This isn� t some stellar incredible success for the Labour Party. It isn� t like they have just won a Seat in Surrey Or Something like that, making tremendous advances against the Conservative Party, but what it does say is gives him time, Breathing Space, definitely see a Leadership Challenge. They won� t even be murmurs of Leadership Challenge like we saw in the times earlier this week. It will allow him to get to the summer, think about what he will do, allow him to get to the Party Conference in late september, early october, and start to make his pitch not only to the Labour Party but also to the country. He has always wanted to do so but has been prevented by the pandemic. It