Nigel Farage is currently the most likely person to take over from Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, according to several betting companies.
The Reform UK leader recently leapfrogged Kemi Badenoch, the official leader of the opposition, amid a surge in support for his party.
Last week, a national poll showed Reform leading Labour for the first time – though the survey, carried out by little-known pollsters Find Out Now, remains an outlier.
A number of recent high-profile defections from the Conservatives have added to a sense of momentum for the party.
In the past week, ex-home secretary Suella Braverman’s husband Rael has joined Reform while former Tory Nick Candy has been recruited as chief fundraiser.
Both Labour and the Conservatives are said to be wary of the potential threat posed by their right-wing rivals, though the next election is likely to be at least four years away.
Among the betting companies giving Farage the shortest odds of taking over as the next PM are William Hill, Betfair and Coral.
Most give him odds of 5/2, meaning a £10 bet would return £25 profit, while Kemi Badenoch is widely given odds of 3/1.
Ladbrokes, which has also tipped Farage for the future gig, said there had been a ‘continuing flurry of bets’ for Reform winning the most seats at the next general election.
The party’s rise is all the more remarkable for its speed. At the local elections in May won just two councillors and did not come higher than fourth place in any mayoral race.
But following the return of Farage as leader in the early stages of the general election, Reform came third in total number of votes behind Labour and the Conservatives.
Most recent polls show the party maintaining a healthy third spot with around 20% of respondents saying they would back it in the next election.
The next big test of Reform’s strength will come on May 1 next year, when seats on England’s county councils and several unitary authorities will be up for grabs.
Former leader Richard Tice told Metro he believes his party could snatch the next general election ‘having won or come second in Wales’, where voters next head to the polls in 2026.
In the Scottish elections, taking place the same year, he said he anticipates winning double figure seats and getting ‘real influence’ at Holyrood.
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