Batley and Spen By-Election Odds: Conservatives favourites with voting underway

Voting is under way in the Batley and Spen by-election and the Conservatives are heavy odds-on to win the seat from Labour.

The Tories are 1.192/11 on the Exchange to win the seat with Labour trading at 6.25/1. The Workers Party of Britain, who have made headlines with George Galloway's candidacy in the by-election, are 75.074/1.

Batley and Spen has been Labour since 1997 when the party swept to power under Tony Blair's leadership. Those days are long gone and Labour's loss of seats in its traditional heartlands is one of the key challenges facing its leader Keir Starmer.

Labour lost to the Conservatives in Hartlepool in May and Starmer will come under more pressure if they lose Batley and Spen tomorrow - although it should be noted that the demographics involved make them very different constituencies.

Still the result could well be the same with a big swing to the Tories expected. Paul Krishnamurty is backing them to win with almost half the vote.

Starmer is 2.915/8 to leave as Labour leader this year and his deputy Angela Rayner today had to deny that she was planning to challenge him for the job.

Rayner is 5.59/2 to succeed Starmer, whenever he leaves, behind current favourite Andy Burnham 4.03/1.