Ukip will target Andy Burnham's seat after Stoke by-election as Corbyn ally warns of 'domino effect'

Ukip's next target seat after the Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election is Leigh, IBTimes UK can reveal.

The constituency in the north-west of England is currently held by former Labour minister Andy Burnham, who is favourite become mayor of Greater Manchester in May.

A senior Ukip source told IBTimes UK that the seat is a top priority as Paul Nuttall's party attempts to replicate the "domino" by-election success of the left-of-centre Social Democratic Party in the early 1980s.

The development comes as Nuttall attempts to win over the 69% of Stoke residents who backed a Brexit at the EU referendum and defeat Labour's Remain-backing candidate, Gareth Snell, on 23 February.

The Staffordshire by-election was triggered after Tristram Hunt quit the House of Commons to become the director of London's Victoria and Albert Museum. Snell is defending the historian's majority of more than 5,000 votes.

Nuttall, who succeeded Nigel Farage in November, said he wanted to replace Labour in the north of England and make Ukip the "patriotic voice of working people".

But Ukip would have to overcome Burnham's majority of more than 14,000 votes at a future by-election in Leigh.

"It depends on the behaviour of many Labour MPs both on the back and front benches," a Ukip spokesman told IBTimes UK. "If Jeremy Corbyn's Labour loses two seats on 23 February [Stoke and Copeland], what price a stampede to the Chiltern Hundreds [the estate MPs are designate to so they can quit the Commons]?"

Coincidentally Clive Lewis, the shadow business secretary and Corbyn ally, has also warned of a domino effect. "Once they have one voice they will have a base and it will be a domino effect," the top Labour MP told his Norwich South constituents.

Corbyn has promised not to block the UK's split from the EU, but a string of his frontbenchers defied his three-line-whip to vote against the Government's Article 50 bill.

The Labour leader is now facing a new reshuffle of his top team over the Brexit trigger backlash.

The latest national opinion poll from Opinium, of more than 2,000 people between 31 January and 1 February, put the Conservatives on 37%, Labour on 30% and Ukip on 14%.

Wigan Borough, which includes Leigh, Atherton and Tyldesle, voted 64% for Leave at the EU referendum.