Jeremy Corbyn wins first electoral test by taking Oldham by-election leaving Nigel Farage furious

In his first electoral test after taking over the Labour party in September, Jeremy Corbyn seems to have delivered. Labour's Jim McMahon has sent both Ukip and Conservatives packing with a more than 10,000 majority.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage however beyond furious, branding the results as "perverse" and said "serious questions need to be asked." He claims to have "evidence from an impeccable source that today's voting was bent." It is not immediately known what evidence he has and how reliable the source is.

McMahon polled 17,322 votes while Ukip's John Bickley only managed to attract 6,467 with the Tories' James Daly only delivering 2,596. Jane Brophy from the Liberal Democrats had 1,024 votes while Simeon Hart from the Green Party had 249.

The by-election was held following the death of former Labour minister Michael Meacher, who won the seat in the general election in May with a majority of 14,738. Labour's vote share however went up, by over 7% due to lower voter turnout.

Turnout was higher than expected at just over 40% and, although not confirmed, McMahon's success seemed to have been driven by an effective postal vote operation, according to the BBC. Farage however thinks otherwise. "As a veteran of over thirty by-elections I have never seen such a perverse result. Serious questions need to be asked," he tweeted.

Corbyn delighted by win

Needless to say, Corbyn was more than happy over the win. "I am delighted that Labour has not only won the Oldham West and Royston by-election - but increased our share of the vote since the general election in May," he said on Twitter.

"By elections can be difficult for the party holding the seat, and turnouts often low. But to increase our share of the vote since the general election is a vote of confidence in our party. It's a clear demonstration that Labour is the party working people trust."

He added: "With the Tories going nowhere in Oldham, Ukip has benefited from a protest vote. But this first electoral test in the new parliament has made clear Labour is the real alternative for Britain." Corbyn also took the opportunity to lash out at Chancellor George Osborne, saying: "Our determination to oppose Tory austerity policies, and our succ3esses in pushing them back on tax credit and police cuts show that Labour is getting results for working people."