Huge boost for Nigel Farage as bookies frantically slash Reform's odds for Clacton seat
Nigel Farage announced he is over from Richard Tice as Reform UK leader and also contesting the Clacton-on-Sea seat in the General Election.
Nigel Farage announced he is taking over as leader of Reform UK and standing in the seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea in the General Election, which has left bookies scrambling to reassess the odds of the party winning the seat.
Clacton is a seat that UKIP previously won, and now Reform are heavily backed to take the Essex seaside town, with Betfair Exchange placing the odds as 4/7 (64 percent chance).
This has increased dramatically from earlier today, before Farage's bombshell announcement, when the bookies had the odds at 6/4 (40 percent chance).
The Tories were previously big favourites to win the seat, with odds of 1/4 (80 percent chance), but this has now plummeted to 7/5 (42 percent chance).
Betfair spokesperson Sam Rosbottom said: "The Farage factor was on full display today as odds shortened across the board for Reform UK. He has once again shaken up the election and will have Rishi Sunak desperately worried.
"Since his emergency Election press conference, punters have been backing Reform UK to win in Clacton, and the odds have completely flipped."
Star Sports are also backing Farage as their favourite to win the Clacton seat, putting his odds at 8/13 (61.5 percent chance).
William Kedjanyi, Political Betting Analyst at Star Sports, said: "Nigel Farage has shot back into the frame following his shock announcement that he’ll not only be the new leader of Reform UK, but will also represent them in Clacton at the General Election in July, where he looks to have a real chance of taking the seat off Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives.
"Given the history of the Clacton constituency, who voted in Douglas Carswell as the first elected UKIP MP in the 2014 by-election, we’ve given UKIP’s former leader odds of 8/13 to pick up the seat on July 4th as a representative for Reform UK despite having tried, and failed, seven times to win election to Parliament."
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Farage will take over from Richard Tice as Reform UK leader, and promised "a political revolt" in a passionate speech on Monday. He said: "A turning of our backs on the political status quo. It doesn’t work.
"Nothing in this country works any more. We are in decline. This will only be turned around with boldness. With economic growth. We are going to be the voice of opposition.
Tice said he was "ambitious" and "hungry for more", but admitted that having the former UKIP leader in charge would propel Reform even higher in the polls.
