Ukip celebrate, but Labour’s near-disaster is the shocker

More talk of Miliband’s weaknesses after Labour’s ‘shameful’ performance in a once rock-solid seat

The Mole
(Image credit: LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty)

The history books will record Clacton as the place where Ukip got its first MP elected – and by a resounding margin. But it is the party’s near-victory yesterday in the Labour heartland seat of Heywood and Middleton that is the real shocker. It has led to renewed jitters about Ed Miliband's leadership.

The Great Manchester constituency was a rock-solid Labour seat. But their candidate, Liz McInnes, saw Labour's majority slashed from just under 6,000 to 617 by Ukip on a reduced turnout of only 35 per cent.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
is the pseudonym for a London-based political consultant who writes exclusively for The Week.co.uk.