LONDON: Britain's opposition Labour Party has won a parliamentary special election in a vote seen as a boost for new leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Labour's Jim McMahon held the seat in Oldham West in northwestern England on Friday with a majority of more than 10,000, in a ballot seen as a vote of confidence in Corbyn. The vote was triggered by the death of Michael Meacher, a long-serving lawmaker committed to green issues and eradicating poverty.

Corbyn says the vote, the first since he became party leader in September, shows anger with government austerity policies and that Labour "is getting results for working people."

Nigel Farage, the UK Independence Party leader, says he'll file a formal complaint over alleged "abuses" in the election regarding the number of postal votes cast.