Ed Miliband has said Labour’s by-election victory is the “first step in a long journey” for his party.
The Labour leader said the party’s win in Oldham East and Saddleworth, with a majority of 3,558 also sent a “clear message” to the government.
Lib Dem Elwyn Watkins came second but fractionally increased the party’s vote share on the 2010 result.
But the Tories saw their vote share halved – they denied “soft pedalling” to help their coalition partners.
The Greater Manchester by-election was called after a special court found ex-Labour minister Phil Woolas made false statements about Mr Watkins in May’s general election, in which Labour retained the seat by just 103 votes over the Lib Dems.
The ruling invalidated the result and resulted in Mr Woolas being barred from politics for three years.
But in Thursday’s by-election Labour secured a much clearer victory – finishing 3,558 votes ahead of the Lib Dems with 14,718 votes. The party’s share of the vote increased from 31.9% to 42%.
Although the Lib Dems failed to snatch the seat, their share of the vote actually increased slightly, from 31.6% at the general election to 31.9%.
They polled 11,160 votes, with the Conservatives getting 4,481 (12.8% share), UKIP 2,029 (5.8%) and the BNP 1,560 (4.5%).
The Tories saw their vote collapse, amid accusations that they had fought a deliberately lacklustre campaign in an attempt to give their coalition partners a clear run.
With Labour extending its majority from just 103 at the general election last May to 3,558, Mr Miliband said the result showed that voters had rejected coalition policies.
“This is a first step in a long journey for Labour but, more importantly, I hope the Government will listen to what they’ve said about these key issues,” he said as he left his north London home.
“They said to the Government: think again on VAT, think again on the trebling of tuition fees, think again on the police cuts that are going to affect their communities.
“And I think part of what it should be about in this country is listening to the voters. I think that’s what David Cameron and Nick Clegg should do.”
The result came as an important boost for the Labour leader, who has been under fire for failing to make a stronger impact since taking the helm of the party last September.
Result
There was relief also among the Lib Dems that the result was not worse, following the dramatic slide in their support since they joined the Conservatives in government.
Leaving his London home this morning, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg insisted it had been a “strong” showing by his party at what was a “challenging time” for the coalition.
“I think the strong result in this by-election for the Liberal Democrats shows that whether we are in government or in opposition, we remain a strong, united independent party whose values continue to attract support,” he said.
“I think it was a strong result, given the circumstances in which the by-election was fought. It was a by-election held in unusual circumstances at a time when the Government is taking difficult decisions, of which we are a part.
“It was clear that it was going to be, and turned out to be, a fairly close race between us and Labour.”
Mr Clegg was meeting senior Lib Dem colleagues this morning to discuss the election result, although aides denied it was a crisis meeting.
The Lib Dems, who saw their share of the vote increase slightly since the election, appear to have benefited from tactical voting by Conservative supporters trying to keep Labour out.
Tory Party chairman Baroness Warsi denied that the Conservatives had run a deliberately low-key campaign to help Mr Clegg at a time when he is under intense pressure.
“I led this campaign and every resource was put into it,” she told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme. “We never attacked the Liberal Democrat Party but we never campaigned for them either.”
She acknowledged that there had been criticisms from some on the Tory right over the way that the campaign had been run, but rejected their complaints.
“As far as the right wing of our party are concerned, I would say this to them: We had many, many MPs turning up. We had some who made much comment about the fact that we weren’t fighting a strong enough campaign but interestingly didn’t turn up to campaign,” she said.
“I would say to those who are critical, unless you were here, unless you were out delivering and unless you were out knocking on doors, you really don’t have a right to complain about us not being vigorous enough.”
Ed Miliband
Earlier, shadow education secretary Andy Burnham, who oversaw the Labour campaign, contrasted Mr Miliband’s decision to visit the constituency three times with Chancellor George Osborne’s choice of a festive holiday.
“While Ed was in the hills in Saddleworth, Tory ministers were on the skiing slopes in Klosters,” he said.
The by-election was called after the Lib Dem candidate Elwyn Watkins successfully challenged last year’s result in a special election court which ruled that the Labour victor, Phil Woolas, had made false statements about him.
But despite expectations of a local backlash against Labour, Mr Watkins polled only 11,160 votes to the Labour candidate Debbie Abrahams’ 14,718. Tory Kashif Ali came a distant third with 4,481.
Mr Cameron insisted that the Tories had fought a “good campaign” in the by-election.
“I was one of the first Prime Ministers for many, many years to campaign personally in an English by-election. I enjoyed doing that. I am proud of the campaign we fought,” he told reporters on a visit to Newcastle.
“Of course, we started in third place and we ended in third place. That is often the way with by-elections. This was not an unexpected result.”
OLDHAM EAST AND SADDLEWORTH
Lab hold
Debbie Abrahams (Lab) 14,718 (42.14%, +10.27%)
Elwyn Watkins (LD) 11,160 (31.95%, +0.32%)
Kashif Ali (C) 4,481 (12.83%, -13.62%)
Paul Nuttall (UKIP) 2,029 (5.81%, +1.95%)
Derek Adams (BNP) 1,560 (4.47%, -1.25%)
Peter Allen (Green) 530 (1.52%)
The Flying Brick (Loony) 145 (0.42%)
Stephen Morris (Eng Dem) 144 (0.41%)
Loz Kaye (Pirate) 96 (0.27%)
David Bishop (Bus-Pass Elvis) 67 (0.19%)
Lab maj 3,558 (10.19%)
4.98% swing LD to Lab
Electorate 72,788; Turnout 34,930 (47.99%, -13.19%)
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Labour leader Ed Miliband has appealed to disaffected Liberal Democrat voters to work with the opposition against the coalition government.
In a speech at the Fabian Society he said “thousands” of Lib Dems had now joined the Labour Party.
He also said he hoped the party realised that entering a coalition with the Tories was a “tragic mistake”.
But the Lib Dem deputy leader, Simon Hughes said they should “resist the blandishments of the Labour leader”.
Mr Hughes said: “Last May, the electorate walked away from Labour and Labour walked away from government.
“Liberal Democrats took up the challenge and decided that Liberal Democrats in government would achieve far more towards a liberal Britain by joining and making more progressive the government rather than stepping back and allowing Britain to be run again by the Conservative Party on its own,” he added.
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond, said Labour did not have a sound economic policy to offer voters.
“Most Liberal Democrats understand that we have to address the fundamental economic challenges this country now faces before we can build the progressive society that we all want to live in and until Ed Miliband has a credible plan for dealing with the deficit he’s not in a position to make a pitch to anybody,” said Mr Hammond.
Mr Miliband said he was pleased many Lib Dems “now see Labour as the main vehicle for their hopes in the future”.
He also said he would not join in “gloating” over his party’s victory in the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election.
That result saw Labour boosting its majority from 103 to over 3,500.
During his speech Mr Miliband said he wanted Lib Dems to “find a welcome home in our party, not just making up the numbers but contributing actively to the strengthening of our values and the renewal of our policies”.
He also said Labour must become again “the standard-bearer of the progressive majority”.
Mr Miliband said: “Forgive me if I decline to join those of you who are gloating at the expense of the Liberal Democrats.
“Their decision to join a Conservative-led government was a tragic mistake, and I hope they come to see that in time.
“But, equally, there are many Liberal Democrats who’ve decided to stay and fight for the progressive soul of their party. Most of them do not want to see their traditions sacrificed for personal ambition. I respect their choice too. And I understand how painful it is – and must be for them – to watch what is happening to their party.
“We do not doubt that they hold sincere views and we will co-operate, in Parliament and outside it, to fight with them against the direction of this government.
“In fact, it’s our duty to work with progressives everywhere… against what this government is doing.”
Writing in the Guardian, Mr Miliband earlier said he “respects the choice” of Lib Dems who have decided to stay and fight for the soul of their party.
The BBC’s Tim Reid said that the Labour leader also had some uncomfortable words during his speech for his own party, saying it had got things wrong in government and had to learn lessons from that.
Mr Miliband also said his long-term vision for the Labour party was to earn the right to govern again from the British people, our correspondent added.
In Thursday’s by-election, Debbie Abrahams finished 3,558 votes ahead of the Lib Dems with 14,718 votes. The party’s share of the vote increased from 31.9% to 42%.
But Lib Dem Elwyn Watkins fractionally increased the party’s vote share on the 2010 result from 31.6% at the general election to 31.9%.
The Greater Manchester by-election was called after a special court found ex-Labour minister Phil Woolas made false statements about Mr Watkins in May’s general election, in which Labour retained the seat by just 103 votes over the Lib Dems.
The ruling invalidated the result and resulted in Mr Woolas being barred from politics for three years.
Labour leader Ed Miliband says he will not join in the “gloating” over his party’s victory in the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election.
At a speech to the Fabian Society on Saturday, Mr Miliband will say Labour must become again “the standard-bearer of the progressive majority.”
And in article for the Guardian, Mr Miliband also says that he will co-operate with “courageous” Lib Dems.
The by-election saw Labour boosting its majority from 103 to over 3,500.
After the result Mr Miliband said the result showed the Lib Dems had made a “tragic mistake” in joining the Conservatives in coalition.
In his speech Mr Miliband will say: “We must rebuild ourselves as a broad movement of the British mainstream that politicians have talked about for decades but often not understood.”
As the government’s spending cuts begin to impact as it aims to save £81bn in four years, Mr Miliband will set out how he sees Labour’s position: “I want to become the voice and hope of those who feel squeezed by an economic system that promised to liberate them.
“I want us to articulate the frustration of people who are fed up with bankers taking vast public subsidies and then rewarding themselves for failure while the rest of the country struggles.
“I want us to be the party that answers the call for a fairer sharing of the nation’s wealth, strong and responsive public services and a different kind of politics.”
Mr Miliband will say that he hopes the Liberal Democrats will realise their “mistake” in joining the Conservatives in coalition.
“Forgive me if I decline to join those of you who are gloating at the expense of the Liberal Democrats.
“Their decision to join a Conservative-led government was a tragic mistake, and I hope they come to see that in time.”
In his Guardian article Mr Miliband says he “respects the choice” of Lib Dems who have decided to stay and fight for the soul of their party.
‘Courageous’ Lib Dems
“We want to co-operate with them in parliament and outside to fight against the direction in which this Conservative-led government is taking our country.
“We will work with those who have the courage of their convitions.”
In Thursday’s by-election, Debbie Abrahams finished 3,558 votes ahead of the Lib Dems with 14,718 votes. The party’s share of the vote increased from 31.9% to 42%.
But Lib Dem Elwyn Watkins fractionally increased the party’s vote share on the 2010 result from 31.6% at the general election to 31.9%.
The Greater Manchester by-election was called after a special court found ex-Labour minister Phil Woolas made false statements about Mr Watkins in May’s general election, in which Labour retained the seat by just 103 votes over the Lib Dems.
The ruling invalidated the result and resulted in Mr Woolas being barred from politics for three years.
Baroness Warsi has fired a warning at Conservative critics of the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election.
The party came third in Thursday’s poll – prompted by a court ruling against Labour’s Phil Woolas – and its share of the vote more than halved.
Some activists and MPs have complained the Tories ran a soft campaign to aid their Lib Dem coalition partners.
Tory co-chairman Baroness Warsi said they did not have the right to complain if they did not take part themselves.
Asked about potential discontent among right wing Conservatives, she told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme: “We had many many, members of Parliament turning up, we had some who made much comment about the fact that we weren’t fighting a strong enough campaign but interestingly didn’t turn up to campaign.
“I would say to those who are critical: ‘Unless you were here, unless you were out delivering and unless you were knocking on doors, you really don’t have a right to complain about us not being vigorous enough’.”
Labour retained the Greater Manchester seat in Thursday’s by-election with 14,718 votes – a majority of 3,558 and a 42.1% share of the vote.
Soft pedalling denied
The Lib Dems came second on 11,160 votes, and slightly increased their vote share to 31.9%, from 31.6% in 2010. The Tories got 4,481 votes – down from 11,773 in the May general election and their share of the vote fell from 26.4% to 12.8%.
Last week the Guardian reported that, at a cabinet meeting before Christmas, Conservative minister Andrew Mitchell argued that the party should do everything in their power to help the Lib Dems win the seat – and Prime Minister David Cameron had expressed gratitude to him for the intervention.
The Telegraph suggested in December that the PM had called off a campaigning push in the Greater Manchester constituency, to boost Lib Dem chances.
But the Conservatives have denied “soft pedalling” in the campaign. Baroness Warsi told the BBC: “It was resourced properly. We had volunteers on the ground. We had professionals on the ground. We had a great local candidate. We had professional literature, some of the first election addresses to hit peoples’ doors.”
The Tory candidate, Kashif Ali, said he did not blame his defeat on the party, telling the BBC it was a reflection of local issues.
However Tim Montgomerie, of the ConservativeHome blog, said Tory activists would take what he claimed was the failure of the Conservatives to mount a full-blooded campaign in Oldham East as a further sign that Mr Cameron was planning a more permanent alliance with the Liberal Democrats.
“A lot of Conservatives are still coming to terms with the fact that Cameron could not win a general election. Now they are seeing the party give up a seat of the kind that they should be winning,” he said.
‘Let down’
Responding to Baroness Warsi’s criticisms, he said: “She should be defending her own campaign rather than lashing out at others”.
Mr Montgomerie said by-elections were “won and lost in the first two weeks of the campaign” and Mr Cameron’s appearance in the constituency last week would not have been enough to influence the outcome.
He also claimed there was polling evidence that voters in the constituency had received less election literature than from the other parties.
Backbench Conservative MP Douglas Carswell said Tory candidate Kashif Ali had been “let down” by the party leadership after Mr Cameron wished the Lib Dems well in the contest at a press conference last year.
“It is usually a good idea if you want to do well as a party to make it clear that you are serious about trying to win,” he told the London Evening Standard.
“We have paid the price on the doorstep and our leaders should reflect on that.”
Left Labour campaigners urged the party leadership today to join the union-led campaign against government cutbacks following a stunning Labour victory in the Oldham by-election.
Standing in disgraced former Labour MP Phil Woolas’s Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency, Labour candidate Debbie Abrahams was expected to have a tough time securing the seat for Labour.
But following a concerted campaign effort involving the Unite union and campaigners from across the country, Ms Abrahams secured a landslide victory with an increased majority.
She polled 14,718 votes with nearest rival Liberal Democrat candidate Elwyn Watkins only polling 11,160.
Tory candidate Kashif Ali trailed in at third place with only 4,481 votes.
The result is being seen as a vindication of Ed Miliband’s leadership and a serious blow to the Liberal Democrats and the coalition government.
Compass Youth chairwoman Cat Smith, whose members provided much-needed support to the election campaign in Oldham, said she was “impressed” by the increased majority given the circumstances of the by-election.
“It is a clear rejection of the coalition cuts agenda and the medicine they claim to be healing the country with is in fact a poison,” she said.
Ms Smith added that Compass Youth would be helping to mobilise the maximum turnout at the national TUC demonstration against the cuts on March 26.
Last night senior Conservatives and Liberal Democrats were quick to deny there was any lasting damage to the coalition.
An increasingly ragged looking Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg attempted to paint over the cracks emerging in the coalition by insisting that it had been “a strong result” for the Lib Dems.
And Tory Party chairwoman Baroness Warsi frantically tried to convince party hardliners that Tory HQ had run a “soft” campaign to assist the junior coalition partner’s vote.
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said the result reflected the anger not just of Oldham constituents but people across the country affected by the cuts.
“Ordinary people are hurting and, as the result in Oldham shows, they are now beginning to ask why,” said Mr McCluskey.
“People are waking up the fact that this has little to do with deficit reduction, which can be achieved through more humane and economically sensible measures, and everything to do with advancing the ideology of an elite with no feel or care for working people.”
Labour Representation Committee chairman John McDonnell MP said the pressure group welcomed the result but urged party leader Mr Miliband to outline a clear alternative and reject all Con-Dem cuts.
Speaking on the eve of the critical committee AGM being held tomorrow in London, he added: “If we are to build on last night’s victory, Labour’s distinctive break strategy has to include a rejection of the policy that the deficit is to be bridged with cuts in our public services while the bankers and the tax dodgers laugh all the way to their tax havens.”