Latest UK General Election odds and turnout analysis: Odds suggest low turnout likely in July

General elections in the UK do not normally take place in July, so the July 4 date for this year's poll battle is something of a wild card, but the latest odds suggest it's not going to have a huge influence on the outcome.

The Westminster Parliament was dissolved on Thursday and the latest polls have not made pleasant reading for the Conservatives.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's party are 16-1 with Betfair, BoyleSports and Paddy Power to gain most seats this time, with Labour 1-25 to have most MPs and 1-10 with Betfred, Coral and Ladbrokes to form a majority government under Keir Starmer.

Some Conservatives will be hoping that a low turnout for the summer election may boost their chances. That belief may be based on the June 2001 election (59.4) being the only one in which turnout has fallen below 60 per cent since 1945, but the more recent June poll in 2017 brought the largest figure since 1997 at 68.8 per cent.

The key difference between those elections was their competitiveness. In 2001 Tony Blair's Labour were still popular and on their way to a majority of 167 seats, while in 2017 politics was a major feature in people's daily lives a year after the Brexit referendum and the race was neck and neck.

This year's election is not quite like either of those as this time it is the former opposition who have a large lead in the polls. But complacency could be a key factor in keeping turnout low if the Red Rose party retain their comfortable lead.

The general over/under line has been set at 64.5 per cent, but the early action has been on the under, which is 4-9 with Hills but only 4-11 elsewhere. Over 64.5 per cent is best at 7-4 with bet365 and Paddy Power.

Bet365 are also offering smaller bands, with 60-64.99 their favourite at 11-8, while 55-59.99 is 100-30, 65-69.99 is 4-1 and under 55 and 70-74.99 are both 8-1 shots.

Voters should be able to make their selections in daylight throughout the opening hours of the polling stations this year, in contrast to the 2019 event, which was on December 12 but still produced a turnout of 67.3 per cent.

That election did not have the distraction of the Euros, Wimbledon or the simple fact that many voters will be on holiday on July 4 and may not have arranged postal votes.

Another factor to consider is the more restrictive voter ID regulations which have come in since the last election - the Electoral Commission estimated that around 14,000 voters were turned away in last month's local elections.

The unpopularity of the outgoing government will test the theory that the Conservative vote holds up best in a low-turnout election to its limits, though, and it's no surprise that bookmakers expect the lowest figure for almost 20 years.

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