Activists were jubilant as trucker's son Jim McMahon romped home with an unexpected 10,722 majority in the Oldham West and Royton by-election SHARES 18 COMMENTS Enter your e-mail for our politics newsletter Subscribe REUTERS/Phil NobleLabour Party candidate Jim McMahon receives a kiss off his partner Charlene Duerden after winning the Oldham West and Royton by-electionLabour Party candidate Jim McMahon receives a kiss off his partner Charlene Duerden after winning the Oldham West and Royton by-election Jeremy Corbyn has defied his critics in spectacular fashion as Labour won a thumping victory in his first ballot box test. Activists were jubilant as trucker's son Jim McMahon romped home with an unexpected 10,722 majority in the Oldham West and Royton by-election. The massive victory - hours after sources warned late MP Michael Meacher's 14,783 majority could be slashed below 1,000 - blasted a challenge by Ukip out of the water. It actually increased Labour's share of the vote from 55% to 62%. And it was a much needed boost to allies of Mr Corbyn who insisted his 'new kind of politics' could chime with traditional Old Labour voters. Read more: Oldham West by-election: Live updates PAJim McMahon, Labour candidate for Oldham West and Royton meets local peopleVictorious: Jim McMahon Ukip had considered the Labour leader so toxic they mocked him up on fake 'Wanted' posters as a 'threat to our nation'. But their plan backfired in astonishing fashion as Labour's hard-working ground campaign brought in a surge in postal votes. This morning Ukip leader Nigel Farage claimed that "effectively the electoral process is now dead" and said he would file a formal complaint over alleged "abuses" of the postal vote system. Mr Farage said he was not questioning Labour's victory, but denounced the electoral process as "bent" after claims that people had arrived at polling booths carrying bundles of postal votes. Mr McMahon won 17,209 votes to Ukip candidate John Bickley's 6,487 on a turnout of 40 per cent - down from 60 per cent in May. The lower turnout - though still respectable for a by-election - meant there were 15,000 fewer voters, meaning Labour's share of the vote actually rose. It was 62 per cent compared to 55 per cent in May. PAUKIP's John Bickley delivers his speechDefeated: UKIP's John Bickley Tory candidate James Daly won 2,596 votes, the Greens' Simeon Hart won 249, and Lib Dem Jane Brophy won 1,024. Sir Oink A-Lot of the Monster Raving Loony Party won 141 votes despite saying he had hoped for a 'loony landslide'. Whispers of a massive victory began only at midnight after a huge ground campaign by the party. Some 500 Labour activists descended on the Greater Manchester seat in the weekend before the poll. Oldham West and Royton by-election result Jim McMahon (Labour) John Bickley (Ukip) Jim Daly (Conservative) Jane Brophy (Lib Dem) Simeon Hart (Green) Sir Oink A-Lot (Monster Raving Loony) Candidate 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 Number of votes Hundreds more, including more than a dozen MPs and deputy leader Tom Watson, braved torrential rain yesterday. Party sources praised a powerful local candidate in Mr McMahon, the 35-year-old Labour leader of Oldham Council. Born in Manchester, he left school at 16 to get a job in his local cash-and-carry before becoming a technician apprentice. He became a councillor at just 23 years old. Speaking before the vote, he brushed aside claims Mr Corbyn had put off voters on the doorstep. Jeremy CorbynFirst electoral test: Jeremy Corbyn will be pleased Labour held onto Oldham He told the Mirror before the result: "From an Oldham Labour point of view we buy into being loyal to the Labour leader whoever that is. "I've heard people say that they like what Jeremy has in standing up for what he believes in. "There have been some Lib Dem people who are now voting for us because they now believe in Jeremy." Ukip came second in Oldham West in May with 21 per cent of the vote, nudging the Tories into third place with 19 per cent. Mr Meacher won a landslide 55 per cent of the vote on turnout of nearly 60 per cent. In his victory speech an emotional Mr McMahon called the result 'staggering'. "I never thought I would be standing here as an MP in the town I love and have fought hard for," he said. "When I came into politics, I wanted to make my bit of the world a better place. Rex FeaturesLabour Party conf 2008. Michael MeacherLate MP: Jim McMahon has been elected to succeed Michael Meacher "I want to make sure my sons, Jack and Harry, live in an Oldham they can be proud of. "I think we have come a long way together. "But there's a long way still to go." He added: "We also need to remember what is currently at stake under this Tory government. "While everyone is looking the other way they are quietly pushing through cuts that will change the face of towns like Oldham."

• published: 04 Dec 2015
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