William Hill say that her odds are 7/1. She is followed by UKIP at 16/1, the Liberal Democrats at 33/1 and Labour at 100/1. The current MP’s odds are 1/9.

An experienced spokesman for William Hill said that she was the only independent candidate in the country with odds in single figures and the next best, the comedian Al Murray, had odds of 50/1. “This means that she has the best chance of any independent of being successful.

“I believe that it is unprecedented for a genuinely independent candidate, not already in national politics and not identified with a single issue, to have such odds.”

Earlier Ladbrokes quoted Claire Wright at 6/1 and said that she had the best chance of any independent in the country of success.

Responding to the latest odds, Claire commented “What a boost it is for the campaign to have such great odds on winning the East Devon seat. It is really motivating! I am talking to people every day during my campaigning and they tell me time and time again that they are looking for someone who is going to properly represent their views, with none of the excuses the current MP makes for not doing so.

“The positive feedback I am continually receiving feels as though there is an ever-increasing energy to get me elected. We will be working hard to ensure that, when the General Election comes, the people of East Devon will have an MP who will put their interests ahead of a party.”
Claire Wright is running a very active campaign across the constituency and her next public meeting will be on Tuesday 10th March, at the Unitarian Church, at the junction of All Saints Road and Sidmouth High Street.

She started campaigning whilst at school, organising protests against animal cruelty. This concern to confront perceived wrongs has seen Claire leading many campaigns on a variety of local issues, from fighting to retain a local hospital’s inpatient beds and other key services essential to the local population, to protecting the beavers and important native trees. She is the Woodland Tree Trust Champion for Devon. As a staunch advocate of openness in central and local government, she has worked to expose the links between local developers and the Conservative-led district council. She has been outspoken on many subjects including the need for a housing local plan, to safeguard the environment from inappropriate development, and the district council’s very costly plan to move to a new office and sell valued parkland. In 2010, Claire campaigned successfully to retain overnight stays at Honiton Hospital and led a group to create the first-ever play park near Ottery St. Mary.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

Claire Wright has an impressive understanding of the local area, its people and what concerns them. This has been gained, initially, by work on the Ottery Town Council where she served from 2009 to 2013 and the East Devon District Council where, in 2011, she ousted the long-standing Conservative leader. In May 2013, Claire was elected to the Devon County Council after securing 2,974 votes which represented 74 per cent of the total vote. This was the biggest share in the South West. She is the leader of the non-aligned group of three Independents and one Green councillor. The main committees on which Claire sits are the Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny, Procedures and Member Development. She is also on several other committees.

In her council work, Claire has focused on two main themes, to encourage more transparency and openness at East Devon District Council and to save the district from the very real threat of over-development. Recently, having announced her bid for Parliament, Claire organised a survey to establish what concerned local people. Hundreds responded and her very popular blog has a huge audience, keen to find out what is happening in local politics and her constituents’ views.

CAREER

Claire worked in the NHS from 2001, in a PR role, and initiated campaigns to improve health. She also worked for Devon County Council before becoming a freelance in 2008. This permitted flexibility in her work and family life and the freedom to speak her own mind and to represent people’s views instead of representing an organisation. As her parliamentary bid claims, she is “free to speak, free to act”.

‘THE INDEPENDENT WITH THE BEST CHANCE OF VICTORY ACROSS THE UK’

‘Claire Wright, the Independent fighting to be the next Member of Parliament for the East Devon constituency, is now regarded as the candidate most likely to unseat the current MP, Foreign Minister Hugo Swire. She is drawing ahead of the other three parties contesting the seat and the data implies that she is attracting support from many anxious to see a Conservative defeat.

Her odds, according to Ladbrokes, have changed from an initial 66/1 to 6/1, which are the best odds of any independent candidate in the UK. A spokesman for the company confirmed that “it is now definitely a two horse race” as others lose ground.

The spokesman also asserted that the improvement in Claire Wright’s odds have been ‘the most dramatic of any candidate, of any party, in the UK’ and now her prospects of victory are seen to be’ better than for any other independent across the whole country’.