Bookies make Edinburgh North and Leith "too close to call"

10.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 26th Apr 2010

Following Nick Clegg's commanding performances in the televised leaders' debates, and a sustained rise in Liberal Democrat support across the country, bookmakers have slashed the odds on a historic Lib Dem win in Edinburgh North and Leith.

Ladbrokes, William Hill and sportingbet are all offering identical prices of 11/10 (i.e. 46%) on both the Liberal Democrats and Labour winning the seat outright. Each of these three companies had previously identified the Lib Dems as the clear challengers, but had given Labour a slight edge.

Kevin Lang, Liberal Democrat candidate for Edinburgh North and Leith, said, "As thousands of voters receive their postal ballots today, it is clear that this election will be too close to call. Only a handful of votes may separate us from the Labour candidate, who cannot run from his record of voting to close local post offices, double tax rates on our lowest earners and repay thousands of pounds of public money to the parliamentary authorities. We will work hard for every single vote here in Edinburgh North and Leith, as more and more people believe that, in this election, a fairer society, a new green economy and cleaner politics are all possible. The smart money - and the momentum - lies with the Liberal Democrats here."