Ukip has plumped for John Bickley as its candidate in the upcoming Oldham West & Royton by-election, following the death of Michael Meacher. Although other names were in the frame, Bickley was the natural choice — he came very close to winning in the nearby seat of Heywood & Middleton in a by-election last year. Ukip HQ will be hoping Bickley can use his local following to, at the very least, increase the party’s vote share. In the 2015 general election, Ukip received 20 per cent of the vote, a 17 per cent increase since the 2010 election.
But Ukip still has an almighty challenge to win the seat: Labour won Oldham West with a 14,738 majority in May and the seat has been held by the party for over 40 years. The bookmakers concur: the latest implied odds from Ladbrokes give Labour a 94 per cent of holding onto the seat, compared to just 11 per cent for Ukip.
The Kippers have a simple strategy to chip away at Labour’s vote.
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