Polls hint at bad news for Lib Dems

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 indicated yesterday.

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.

A win for Labour will be seen as a negative public verdict on the Lib Dems' role in the coalition government and comes despite claims David Cameron has held back the Conservative campaign to help them.