The Oldham West and Royton by-election is Jeremy Corbyn’s first test as Labour leader, though the party has not selected a Corbynite candidate to fight the seat. Jim McMahon won 232 votes in last night’s selection, beating Mohammed Azam, who got 141 votes and former MP and ardent Corbynite Chris Williamson, who got just 17 votes. McMahon is a moderate, so it will be interesting how much of Corbyn’s message he ends up selling on the doorstep. He said during his selection campaign that ‘on issues like austerity, I’m very close to Jeremy indeed’, so it’s not as though he’s wholeheartedly against the new leader.
What will also be interesting is the strategy that the party decides to adopt on immigration policy. With Ukip pushing hard in the seat, Labour cannot avoid answering questions on this topic, but there is a clear split between Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham and Jeremy Corbyn on this matter, with the former arguing the party needs to do more to reassure voters on migration, and the latter declaring he has no personal problem with immigration.
But even one stance will be difficult, as the make-up of the wards in this constituency means that what goes down well in one area will drop like a lead balloon in another. So both factions on immigration in the Labour party will find reasons to argue that their own stance is the best one, based on what they are hearing – or decide to hear – on the doorstep. Better, then, to select a local who understands this: McMahon is the leader of Oldham council.
Comments