It’s the Conservative Party conference this week and Theresa May is expected to call for unity. Unity behind what, exactly, is yet to be revealed and the warning may fall on deaf ears judging on the comments Boris Johnson made at the weekend.
Most commentators believe that Mrs May is on borrowed time as Prime Minister and has been since a dreadful election campaign and result which saw her completely underestimate the British public’s desire for further austerity. Ladbrokes have opened a book on which year Theresa May is replaced as Prime Minister with 2018 being favourite at 2/1.
However, the question (and it’s a big one) remains – who would be an adequate replacement?
Boris Johnson has had desires on the top job since he entered politics. He threw his hat into the ring when David Cameron stepped down but was stabbed in the back by former ally and fellow Brexiteer Michael Gove. Bojo may have been a popular London mayor and has his supporters in the Conservative Party but he’s regarded as a self-serving buffoon in large parts of the country and influential parts of the media so whether he’d ever be able to muster sufficient support to win a General Election is doubtful. Fellow former public schoolboy Jacob Rees-Mogg is held in equal contempt outside of the Tory heartlands with recent comments about food banks suggesting he’s completely out of touch with modern realities.
However, Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg are 7/1 and 9/1 respectively with Betway to be Next Conservative Leader.
The registration process at Betway is quick and easy to go through. It is all very self explanatory and won’t take long, and there are numerous ways to fund the account, from e-wallets like Skrill through to bank and credit cards.
So who are the alternatives for the Tory party? Even by politicians’ standards, Phillip Hammond is regarded as too boring. David Davis wants to retire from politics if he can ever disentangle himself from the Brexit mess. Home secretary Amber Rudd, Theresa May’s occasional stunt double, can be backed at 12/1 but is regarded as a reactive, not a pro-active, politician. Ruth Davidson is 18/1 but isn’t even an MP and has publicly stated that she doesn’t want to leave Scotland – not much good unless she can persuade Whitehall to move en masse to Edinburgh!
Next Conservative Leader Best Odds
David Davis 13/2
Boris Johnson 7/1
Jacob Rees-Mogg 9/1
Phillip Hammond 10/1
Amber Rudd 12/1
Ruth Davidson 18/1
Damian Green 25/1
Michael Gove 30/1
Sajid Javid 30/1
Dominic Rabb 33/1
Andrea Leadsom 33/1
