When the result of Oldham West and Royton by-election was announced, it almost seemed laughable that a Labour victory in one of its safest seats in the country was ever questioned. But previously unheard of swings in Scotland at the general election, much talk of the Ukip threat to Labour’s heartlands, and now a double-digit deficit for Labour in national voting intention, led many avid politics watchers to accept predictions of a photo finish.
Instead, Labour walked home comfortably, increasing their percentage majority, as well as their vote share to more than 60 per cent. By-elections rarely shed much light on the potential outcome of a general Election – particularly when the next one is nearly five years away, but Jeremy Corbyn and Labour will take the victory and the respite from difficult headlines.
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