Oldham West and Royton by-election 2015 result: Labour’s Jim McMahon wins and Jeremy Corbyn hails victory a ‘vote of confidence’
Labour has secured a victory in the by-election for Oldham West and Royton.
The party's candidate, Jim McMahon, came in first place with a majority of 62 per cent – this was a bigger win for Labour than at the General Election in May
The victory amounted to 10,835 more votes than Ukip candidate John Bickley received. Bickley came in second place, followed by the Conservatives in third. The Conservatives' vote share was down by almost 10 per cent compared to May.
The result will be a relief for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn – the vote was being watched closely by his critics, and he could have faced a vote of no confidence if the constituency was lost to another party.
The election took place following the death of former Labour MP Michael Meacher, who was voted in at the General Election. McMahon said the result was something “that Michael would be proud of”. He also said the result was “staggering” for Labour.
Following the result, Corbyn said: "By-elections can be difficult for the party holding the seat, and turnouts are often low.
But to increase our share of the vote since the general election is a vote of confidence in our party. It's a clear demonstration that Labour is the party working people trust.