NEW MP Liz McInnes is to quit as an East Lancashire councillor after scraping home ahead of UKIP to win the Heywood and Middleton by-election.

Labour’s majority was cut to just 617 from the late Jim Dobbin’s 5,971 in the 2010 national poll.

Rossendale Council’s Labour leader Alyson Barnes revealed Ms McInnes would stand down from being borough councillor within days.

This will spark another by-election in Longholme Ward in Rawtenstall which the new MP took from the Tories in 2010.

Thursday’s strong challenge from UKIP candidate John Bickley and collapse of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat vote could have major implications for East Lancashire constituencies in the General Election next May.

Tory defector Duncan Carswell held his Clacton seat by 12,404 votes, giving UKIP its first elected Labour MP.

Rossendale and Darwen Tory MP Jake Berry said: “By-elections throw up unusual result. Nigel Evans lost Ribble Valley to the Liberal Democrats in one in 1991 and took it back for the Tories in the 1992 general election.”

Blackburn with Darwen Labour candidate Kate Hollern said: “People are discontented with the main parties and we must not be complacent.

“They are suffering under this coalition government. The Tory and Lib Dem votes collapsed while Labour slightly increased its vote.”

Ms McInnes said: "Our vote held up, we had not anticipated the Tory vote collapsing quite so dramatically. But our core voters turned out."

UKIP deputy leader and East Lancashire Euro-MP Paul Nuttall, said: "We came so very close to victory and it shows we are the opposition to Labour in the North.

"We now plan to do well in East Lancashire and take seats which Labour complacently regards as safe.”

Coun Barnes said: “I am delighted that Liz one and we now have a Rossendale person in Parliament. I expect her to stand down from the council imminently.

“UKIP benefited from the collapse of the Tory vote but Labour has to pay attention to what happened.

“We have a council by-election in Helmshore, a Tory ward, on Thursday which will give an indication of what local voters are thinking.”

* The Helmshore poll is a three-way fight between Labour’s Emma Harding, UKIP challenger Granville Barker, and Tony Haworth for the Conservatives.