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A by-election in the party’s so-called northern ‘Red Wall’ will be Keir Starmer’s first big electoral test.

Voters in Hartlepool will be given the chance in May to send a signal as to whether the Labour leader's approach during the pandemic is cutting through.

But this is also a major test for Boris Johnson to see if he can build on his 2019 election success in this part of the country, as concerns over the pandemic have overtaken Brexit as the political focus. 

The by-election has been trigged by the resignation of Labour's Mike Hill.

Mr Hill stepped down ahead of facing claims of sexual harassment and victimisation, which he denies.

Newsnight’s Policy Editor Lewis Goodall reports from Hartlepool.