LABOUR increased its majority in a by-election in Oldham.
Much to the surprise of political pundits, Nigel Farage, and even Jeremy Corbyn’s team, Labour won Thursday’s by-election handsomely.
It was expected to be a close-run thing between Labour and second-place Ukip. In the end Corbyn’s party not only won but increased their majority percentage.
The day before, senior insiders in Labour had told journalists that they were convinced the party had lost.
The by-election had been seen as something of a referendum on Corbyn’s leadership, and a weak result would have seen pressure on him to stand down intensify.
In the end, the result was more of a referendum on Farage’s leadership. The clearly upset leader said the result was “perverse” and suggested foul play. He went on to say he would file a formal complaint over alleged “abuses” of postal votes.
Farage told Radio 4 that he had “evidence from an impeccable source that today’s postal voting was bent.” No formal complaint has been made to the Returning Officer.
Speaking at a victory rally in Oldham with McMahon, Corbyn said: “This campaign shows just how strong our party is not just here in Oldham but all over the country.
“It shows the way we have driven the Tories back on tax credits, police cuts, on their whole austerity agenda and narrative.”
Labour’s share of the vote increased by more than seven points to 62.1 per cent in the by-election, triggered by the death of former minister Michael Meacher, and there was a 2.27 per cent swing from Ukip to Labour.
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