After a tough month which saw disarray within the Labour Party over the extension of air strikes into Syria and counter-terror policy, leader Jeremy Corbyn has had some good news at last. The party has won the Oldham West and Royton by-election, triggered when long-serving Labour MP Michael Meacher died, with a majority of 10,722. That was a reduction in terms of actual votes on the general election result, but a roughly 7 per cent increase in vote share. However you spin it, it's much better than the narrow win many pundits were predicting.
Oldham was the first national electoral test for Labour since Corbyn took office—so should we take it as a sign that his leadership is going to be more successful than many in the "Westminster bubble" think, or is this a blip which can be explained by a strong local campaign?
If Labour had lost in Oldham plenty of commentators, no doubt including me, would have leapt on the result as evidence that Jeremy Corbyn is a hopeless proposition to put before the British electorate. It would be churlish, therefore, not to note that Labour had an excellent result in Oldham. With Jim McMahon, a fine candidate and the former council leader, on the ballot it would be wrong to suggest that the people of Oldham have entered any sort of positive verdict on the Labour leader. But they didn't enter a negative verdict, either.
There are two other significant points. Mr McMahon will now come off Labour's ruling body, the NEC. Mr McMahon was in the Liz Kendall camp for the leadership election so his departure changes the balance of the NEC, which is a more important fact than usual.
The second, and most telling, lesson from Oldham is that Ukip made no headway. It is a thoroughly welcome development that, even with Labour in a kind of crisis, in a place in which immigration is a constant question, Ukip's performance was poor.
It was a great result for Labour last night and we won a decisive victory by increasing our share of the vote since May.
We had a fantastic local candidate in Jim McMahon, who, as Leader of Oldham Council, has been fighting for local people and transforming the area for a long time.
The Labour Party has had some big changes lately, because we now have a different leader, and also a much bigger membership. This result proves that a new kind of politics is electorally successful.
Not only did we beat Ukip, who have been seen by many to be Labour's biggest threat in seats like Oldham West and Royton, but we also saw the Tories being pushed into third place. Jeremy Corbyn's new politics has seen Labour become a mass social movement that can win elections decisively.
This is a first step on Labour's long road back to Government but it is a significant one.
I see this as a huge victory for Jim McMahon, first and foremost. He's a really competent local leader with recognition on the doorstep far beyond that of your "ordinary" council leader. So many people I spoke to over the last few weeks, when asked who they were voting for, said not Labour, but "Jim." They like his backstory—son of a truck driver who left school at 16 and worked his way to the top by old fashioned hard graft—and they like how he has regenerated Oldham since he became leader in 2011.
Much was made in the campaign about Corbyn not coming to visit the constituency beyond a very token three minute appearance at the start, but I don't think McMahon cared a jot. He has been scrupulously polite about his leader throughout, though if you ask him if he thinks Corbyn will be prime minister he always says he doesn't know. But Corbyn barely featured on any of the campaign literature and all of McMahon's lines were on local issues: him renovating the local cenotaphs, raising money to turn the old town hall into a cinema, connecting the town with Manchester via the new Metrolink tram. It was a Westminster election fought on local lines and it's to McMahon's huge credit that he won so decisively.
Some have underestimated Jeremy Corbyn. We at Momentum haven't because we've seen him at close hand. Jeremy Corbyn speaks to a whole range of new voters and re-energises many existing Labour voters. I think some also underestimated Labour's campaign and candidate, Jim McMahon, in Oldham West and Royton.
The result in Oldham is fantastic for the Labour Party for three reasons. First, we held the seat on an increased share of the vote. Second, we have a strong new Labour MP in Jim McMahon. Third, the campaign pointed to Labour's way forward—unity.
Jim McMahon emphasised party unity in his campaign, urging Labour to get together and focus on defeating UKIP and the Tories so we can best represent and work for our communities. Momentum bussed in around 200 activists on the last weekend of the campaign to work for Labour victory. Many of these were Labour's newer members and they mixed in with a lot of excellent hardened activists who have been winning elections for Labour for years.
The result should be a sign that our membership doubling is an enormous resource for the Labour party. We are in rude health, despite some of the media headlines we've been having recently. What all wings of the party need to do is engage more with the old membership and the new membership, and use their talent, their skills and their enthusiasm.
It's always best not to read too much into an isolated by-election result, and Oldham West and Royton is no exception. Although it's certainly good news for Jeremy Corbyn, Labour's success most likely had everything to do with a popular, and more importantly local, candidate.
The result also won't have much impact on SNP strategy, which is to present the party's 54 MPs as the "real opposition" to the Conservatives in the House of Commons. Of course, this message is directed at voters in Scotland, where the Nationalists are keen to keep Labour out of play for a generation.
And one by-election result won't stop the SNP attacking the Corbyn-led Labour as too weak (rather than "too left," they can't really say that any more) to stand up to the Tories. As far as Nationalists are concerned, Labour's disarray over the Syria vote has vindicated them on that front.
This panel was edited by Josh Lowe
Now read: The Oldham by-election means Corbyn is safe—for now
Oldham was the first national electoral test for Labour since Corbyn took office—so should we take it as a sign that his leadership is going to be more successful than many in the "Westminster bubble" think, or is this a blip which can be explained by a strong local campaign?
Ukip made no headway
Philip Collins—Associate Editor of ProspectIf Labour had lost in Oldham plenty of commentators, no doubt including me, would have leapt on the result as evidence that Jeremy Corbyn is a hopeless proposition to put before the British electorate. It would be churlish, therefore, not to note that Labour had an excellent result in Oldham. With Jim McMahon, a fine candidate and the former council leader, on the ballot it would be wrong to suggest that the people of Oldham have entered any sort of positive verdict on the Labour leader. But they didn't enter a negative verdict, either.
There are two other significant points. Mr McMahon will now come off Labour's ruling body, the NEC. Mr McMahon was in the Liz Kendall camp for the leadership election so his departure changes the balance of the NEC, which is a more important fact than usual.
The second, and most telling, lesson from Oldham is that Ukip made no headway. It is a thoroughly welcome development that, even with Labour in a kind of crisis, in a place in which immigration is a constant question, Ukip's performance was poor.
A big first step
Jon Trickett—Labour Shadow Communities SecretaryIt was a great result for Labour last night and we won a decisive victory by increasing our share of the vote since May.
We had a fantastic local candidate in Jim McMahon, who, as Leader of Oldham Council, has been fighting for local people and transforming the area for a long time.
The Labour Party has had some big changes lately, because we now have a different leader, and also a much bigger membership. This result proves that a new kind of politics is electorally successful.
Not only did we beat Ukip, who have been seen by many to be Labour's biggest threat in seats like Oldham West and Royton, but we also saw the Tories being pushed into third place. Jeremy Corbyn's new politics has seen Labour become a mass social movement that can win elections decisively.
This is a first step on Labour's long road back to Government but it is a significant one.
A local victory
Helen Pidd—Northern Editor of the GuardianI see this as a huge victory for Jim McMahon, first and foremost. He's a really competent local leader with recognition on the doorstep far beyond that of your "ordinary" council leader. So many people I spoke to over the last few weeks, when asked who they were voting for, said not Labour, but "Jim." They like his backstory—son of a truck driver who left school at 16 and worked his way to the top by old fashioned hard graft—and they like how he has regenerated Oldham since he became leader in 2011.
Much was made in the campaign about Corbyn not coming to visit the constituency beyond a very token three minute appearance at the start, but I don't think McMahon cared a jot. He has been scrupulously polite about his leader throughout, though if you ask him if he thinks Corbyn will be prime minister he always says he doesn't know. But Corbyn barely featured on any of the campaign literature and all of McMahon's lines were on local issues: him renovating the local cenotaphs, raising money to turn the old town hall into a cinema, connecting the town with Manchester via the new Metrolink tram. It was a Westminster election fought on local lines and it's to McMahon's huge credit that he won so decisively.
Labourites unite
James Schneider—journalist and organiser for MomentumSome have underestimated Jeremy Corbyn. We at Momentum haven't because we've seen him at close hand. Jeremy Corbyn speaks to a whole range of new voters and re-energises many existing Labour voters. I think some also underestimated Labour's campaign and candidate, Jim McMahon, in Oldham West and Royton.
The result in Oldham is fantastic for the Labour Party for three reasons. First, we held the seat on an increased share of the vote. Second, we have a strong new Labour MP in Jim McMahon. Third, the campaign pointed to Labour's way forward—unity.
Jim McMahon emphasised party unity in his campaign, urging Labour to get together and focus on defeating UKIP and the Tories so we can best represent and work for our communities. Momentum bussed in around 200 activists on the last weekend of the campaign to work for Labour victory. Many of these were Labour's newer members and they mixed in with a lot of excellent hardened activists who have been winning elections for Labour for years.
The result should be a sign that our membership doubling is an enormous resource for the Labour party. We are in rude health, despite some of the media headlines we've been having recently. What all wings of the party need to do is engage more with the old membership and the new membership, and use their talent, their skills and their enthusiasm.
It won't worry the SNP
David Torrance—journalist and biographer of Alex Salmond and Nicola SturgeonIt's always best not to read too much into an isolated by-election result, and Oldham West and Royton is no exception. Although it's certainly good news for Jeremy Corbyn, Labour's success most likely had everything to do with a popular, and more importantly local, candidate.
The result also won't have much impact on SNP strategy, which is to present the party's 54 MPs as the "real opposition" to the Conservatives in the House of Commons. Of course, this message is directed at voters in Scotland, where the Nationalists are keen to keep Labour out of play for a generation.
And one by-election result won't stop the SNP attacking the Corbyn-led Labour as too weak (rather than "too left," they can't really say that any more) to stand up to the Tories. As far as Nationalists are concerned, Labour's disarray over the Syria vote has vindicated them on that front.
This panel was edited by Josh Lowe
Now read: The Oldham by-election means Corbyn is safe—for now
