Yes folks, May is just around the corner and UK bookie Ladbrokes has cut its odds on the election to make the ruling Conservative their faves to gain most seats, the first time they’ve been in that position in 3 years
We’ve already posted a few pieces on what is set to become the closest and arguably the most important UK general election in decades and the campagning has well and truly started
Reuters reports that Ladbrokes have said that while neither party was expected to win an overall majority, the Conservatives were now favourites to win the most seats due to rising support for the Scottish National Party (SNP), and a jump in popularity for the Green Party, both of which threaten to take votes from Labour.
Says Ladbrokes:
The money now says that David Cameron could be staying on in Downing Street .
Ed Miliband is now fighting a war on two fronts, with the SNP hammering Labour in Scotland and the Green surge threatening to hand several seats to the (Conservatives) Tories in England
An opinion poll from YouGov on Thursday put Labour on 34 % just ahead of the Conservatives on 33 %. The anti-EU party UKIP polled at 14 %, the Greens at 8 % and the Liberal Democrats, currently junior coalition partners, at 6 %
On the BBC’s Andrew Marr show today UKIP leader Nigel Farage said that his party were unlikely to join a post-election coalition, but that he could “potentially” do a deal with David Cameron over an EU referendum.
Farage also said
- UKIP would commit an extra £3bn per year in NHS funding, raising the cash by quitting the EU and through “middle management” cuts.
- UKIP would win “more than three or four” seats at the general election.
- Comments by UKIP official Matthew Richardson that the party stood for “bigots” were a joke while he was having a drink in the pub.
- Attempts to paint UKIP as a racist party were “dead”.
- For agreement to be reached on a referendum, there would have to be equal spending limits and only British citizens would be allowed to vote
Meanwhile a UKIP MEP has defected and been welcomed back to his former party with open arms by Tory PM Cameron amidst a whole raft of mud-slinging and allegations from both sides.
The BBC has more here plus some analysis while Reuters carries this
Oh the joys and lunacy of election season, and this one has a long way to run yet so we should expect little impact on the pound from the bookies odds at this stage
Farage – Trying to justify making jokes over a pint
