OLDHAM, United Kingdom – Senior figures in the UK Independence Party (UKIP) have expressed their fury at the conduct of the Oldham West and Royton by-election following concerns over a huge surge in postal votes.
The evening began with UKIP confident of running Labour a very close second, but Labour stormed ahead when postal votes were counted.
Sources reported that the number of postal votes cast shot up in the last few days of the campaign, with a 55 per cent turn out suddenly rising to 70 per cent.
Those votes went overwhelmingly in Labour’s favour, helping them hold the seat with a larger than expected majority.
In the end Labour won 17,322 votes against UKIP’s 6,487, a majority of over 11,000. The Conservatives finished third with 2,596.
Party leader Nigel Farage expressed deep concerns at the result, tweeting:
UKIP deputy leader Paul Nuttall accused Labour of engaging in “dangerous identity politics” in the campaign, and compared the postal vote turn out to Tower Hamlets, which was rocked by allegations of fraudulent voting.
He claimed that some postal vote boxes were coming out “nearly 100 per cent Labour”, adding he had “never seen anything like it”.
A party spokesman told Breitbart London that UKIP has always believed postal votes should only be for the elderly, seriously ill and service personnel stationed away from home. He also added that Labour’s support in postal votes was “quite extraordinary” compared to the vote they received on polling day.
The Times speculated before the result that Muslim areas would overwhelming back Labour, thus helping squeeze past UKIP. Around one in four voters in the seat is Muslim, with large numbers of white working class voters and a small number of middle class voters also living in the seat.
One unnamed Labour official told the paper: “The white working class vote is going west, but things seem to be going well among the Asian vote. A win is a win, even if it is seconds before the whistle, with a flat ball.”