By Breitbart News Network | Created at 2024-12-11 21:03:38 | Updated at 2024-12-22 12:54:05
1 week ago
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is now the odds on favourite to become the next British prime minister, a leading bookmaker has found.
For the first time since it began tracking such odds, the Ladbrokes betting agency revealed Tuesday that Nigel Farage “now heads the betting to become next prime minister.”
According to the bookmaker, Mr Farage is now favoured in the race with 5/2 odds, equating to a 28.6 per cent chance of becoming the next inhabitant of Number 10 Downing Street.
In comparison, the recently-installed leader of the so-called Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch currently stands at 3/1 odds, or a 25 per cent chance of becoming the next PM.
Trailing significantly in third position is incumbent Deputy PM Angela Rayner at 6/1 odds (14.3 per cent) and languishing in a distant fourth place is Health Secretary Wes Streeting with 10/1 odds (9.1 per cent).
In addition to his increasing odds to become the next prime minister, Farage’s party is also now the odds on favourite to win the most seats in parliament at the next general election. “They’re now into 9/4, having opened at 16/1,” Ladbrokes said.
The strong result for Nigel Farage comes as his populist Reform UK party has put together a string of wins, including prominent defections from the poorly-named Conservative Party, growth in membership, and rising results in the polls.
Last week, a survey from the Find Out Now polling firm found that Farage’s Reform UK party has climbed to 24 per cent support and notably surpassed the governing left-wing Labour Party of Sir Keir Starmer, which fell to 23 per cent support jut a few months after coming to power.
On the back of the poll, new Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf said that it demonstrated that Farage will “absolutely” become the country’s next prime minister.
This week, the rebranded Brexit party was further bolstered by the addition of billionaire property developer Nick Candy, a former major backer of the Conservatives. Candy, who said that he would put one million pounds sterling of his own money into Reform’s coffers, will be tasked with courting other big money donors for the party as it looks to challenge the two Westminster establishment parties.
“Nigel Farage will be Prime Minister of this country,” Candy predicted. “I will raise Reform more money than any political party in the UK has ever raised – Nigel is going to be the PM.”
Candy coming on as party treasurer came in the wake of several prominent defections, including former Conservative government minister Andrea Jenkyns, ex-Tory MP Aidan Burley, former Boris Johnson advisor and founder of the Conservative Home website Tim Montgomerie, and the husband of former Home Secretary Suella Braveman Rael.
Mr Farage said that it will be “death by a thousand defections” for the Conservative Party.
The next big test for the party in this era of growing momentum will be the England-wide local elections in the Spring, selecting councillors for the nation’s 21 county councils as well a dozen other authorities and mayoralties. Farage has repeatedly said he is focussing on performing well in the votes, given the importance in British elections of having an effective grassroots campaigning machine in determining Westminster elections.
