Labour set for by-election victory - polls

Labour is on course for a comfortable win in next week's Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election in what would be a serious blow for the Liberal Democrats, opinion polls have indicated.

Despite intensive campaigning by a string of Cabinet ministers, Nick Clegg's party trails by 17 points in two separate surveys of voters in the key marginal.

The huge deficit contrasts starkly with the general election when its candidate lost by just 103 votes and then won a legal bid to have Labour victor Phil Woolas stripped of the seat for lying about him.

It will be seen as a negative public verdict on the Lib Dems' role in the Tory-led coalition Government and comes despite claims David Cameron has held back the Conservative campaign to help them.

A poll of 1,500 voters in the constituency conducted for the ex-Tory deputy chairman and published by the Sunday Telegraph put Labour on 46 per cent, the Lib Dems on 29 per cent and the Conservatives on 15 per cent.

Its findings were mirrored by an ICM poll for The Mail on Sunday which gave Labour a 44 per cent to 27 per cent lead over the Lib Dems - with the Tories' Kashif Ali doing slightly better at 18 per cent.

Source - Yahoo.