UKIP have gone for John Bickley for the Oldham West by-election. He is a self-made businessman and the son of a trade unionist, and a key proponent of the Red UKIP ‘protect your benefits and the NHS’ strategy in the North. He would already be an MP if UKIP had put enough resources into the Heywood and Middleton by-election last year, but he lost to Labour by just 600 votes. Labour sources in the area say they will paint Bickley as a carpet-bagging serial loser who has run for parliament and been beaten three times already. Voting day will be December 3…

UPDATE: ‘Bickley Backs Britain’ is UKIP’s slogan for Oldham West. The implication being that Corbyn’s IRA/Hamas/Stalin/’Malvinas’-backing Labour do not…