Honiton By-election Briefing: Liberal Democrats ahead with the bookies

Bookmakers are offering short odds on the Liberal Democrats winning the Tiverton and Honiton by-election – but Lib Dem leader Ed Davey is refusing to take them seriously.

Betting comparison website oddschecker.com says its most popular bet is for the Liberal Democrats to win, at 1/6. The shortest odds for a Conservative victory are 5/1. Labour is at 150/1.

However, Mr Davey told the weekend edition of the I-Paper: "I don't believe the bookies. We're not the favourites. We're the underdogs. It's a huge challenge. It's even bigger than the challenge we faced in North Shropshire."

Last November the Liberal Democrats won the formerly safe Tory seat of North Shropshire, with a 34 per cent by-election swing from the Conservatives.

This weekend, a flying visit to Devon by Prime Minister Boris Johnson attracted criticism.

The PM was photographed sharing tea and cakes with local Conservatives at Ditchetts Dairy Farm, near Tiverton, last Thursday.

The Independent's coverage of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's flying visit to Ditchetts Dairy Farm, near Tiverton.

Opponents claim he is running scared of going out onto the streets to meet voters, after being booed by crowds at last week's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in London.

Also this weekend, the Mirror reported that the Conservative Party has already given up on trying to retain its seat in Wakefield, where a by-election is being held on the same day as Tiverton and Honiton.

But it said "a Down Street insider" told its correspondent that Conservatives will be "throwing everything" at the Devon seat.

"Johnson thinks Tiverton is the one," the Whitehall source told the Mirror. "They are going to throw everything at it. Privately they admit it won't be comfortable, but they will live with winning one and losing the other."

So far this election campaign, this Nub News correspondent has had nine leaflets through her Honiton letterbox. One from the Conservatives, one from Labour, one from the For Britain Movement… and six from the Liberal Democrats.

In another interview with the Independent, Ed Davy criticised a yellow leaflet sent out to the constituency's 75,000 homes, by Conservative Party candidate Helen Hurford. The leaflet focuses on Liberal Democrat pro-Europe policies.

"It's not our policy to re-join the EU," Mr Davy said.

Ed Davey criticises a Conservative Party election leaflet, in the I Paper

In 2016, people in Tiverton and Honiton voted for Brexit, 57.8 per cent to 42.2 per cent.

The Guardian published a long piece at the weekend, speaking to both Conservative and Lib Dem voters across the constituency.

Honiton smallholder Richard Hooker supports the Lib Dems. But he told the Guardian: "It is going to be a very close run thing."

There are eight candidates standing in the Tiverton and Honiton by-election. Their details are HERE. Voters go to the polls in ten days' time, on Thursday June 23.