RUSHES: Sir Keir Starmer welcomes new Labour MPs after by-election success

Sir Keir Starmer welcomes new Labour MPs after by-election success; ENGLAND: London: Westminster: INT GVs Sir Keir Starmer MP (Labour Party leader) along with new Labour MPs Gen Kitchen MP (Labour: Wellingborough) and Damien Egan MP (Labour: Kingswood) to rest of Labour MPs applauding SOT Sir Keir Starmer MP (Labour Party leader) speaking SOT - It is fantastic to welcome to Parliament Gen and Damien, our two brilliant candidates at one minute to ten on Thursday night, within half an hour to be sworn in as new members of Parliament here today this afternoon / congratulations / they both overturned incredible majorities, the like of which we wouldn't normally be able to overturn, making history before they've even been sworn in as members of Parliament / a fantastic achievement, and if we carry on like this with by-elections, we're going to need a bigger hall - I think what we saw last Thursday was a message being sent which is that the electorate have had enough of this failed Tory government / and they want change, and they looked to the Labour Party, they saw a changed Labour Party, and they came over and voted not just for our candidates, but our changed Labour Party / and that is a vindication of all the hard work we've done in the last four years, a really important step on the journey into the next General Election - There's always a but from me, particularly as a football fan / one good result in February doesn't win you the league; we need to stay focused, stay disciplined, celebrate these fantastic new members of Parliament and go on and win that General Election / Gen, Damien, you're very, very welcome GVs of Kitchen, Starmer and Egan posing for photocall with rest of Labour MPs.