SOUTH East MEP and former Waverley councillor Diane James has emerged as the new favourite to succeed UKIP?leader Nigel Farage.

Betfair currently has James’ odds at 4/7, well ahead of the second favourite Patrick O’Flynn (19/10) and past-favourite Steven Woolfe (21/10) whose odds have lengthened after his failure to declare a 2002 drink-driving conviction.

Ms James, a healthcare consultant, was first elected to Waverley Borough Council in 2007 as independent councillor for Ewhurst.

She joined UKIP shortly after her re-election in 2011 and led the party’s new three councillor-strong opposition group at Waverley until losing her seat in 2015.

She came second in the Eastleigh parliamentary by-election in 2013 with 28 per cent of the vote and was elected to the European Parliament in 2014.

The UKIP Home Affairs spokesman has represented the party on the BBC’s Question Time, and taken part in debates at the Cambridge Union Society. The UKIP leadership election will take place on September 15.