80% of elections bets are favouring the Tories

A press release from bookmakers William Hill has cut the odds on the Tories being the largest party after the next General Election from 4/7 to 8/15.  Labour are now at 11/8 and the LibDems on 80/1.  Graham Sharpe of William Hill said:

"There has been no serious money for Labour to win the next General Election for months.  Since Tony Blair announced he was going to stand down probably eighty per cent of the Election bets we have taken have been for the Tories."

Gordon Brown remains the hot favourite to succeed Tony Blair at 1/12 and  Hilary Benn (3/1) just pips Alan Johnson (7/2) as favourite for the deputy leadership.

William Hill's press release comes on the day that Populus gave the Tories an 8% lead and gloomier and gloomier indications from the Yates' inquiry of bad news for Downing Street on loans-for-peerages.

Comments

[Chris Heathcote]

Great though this new is, we shouldn't forget that it will matter where these votes fall. I can see us pilling up huge majorities across the south, but don't see nearly enough signs of recovery in my native leafy Cheshire, never mind further north and in Wales and Scotland (where we seem to have become irrelevant according to my relatives who live there)

[Patsy Sergeant]

Hilary Benn was on the Politics Show last Sunday and came across very well, if he succeeds in becoming DPM, I think he would be an increasingly likely candidate to succeed Brown. Benn and Cameron - that would be an interesting line-up!

[Goldie]

Ah! An opportunity to make a lot of money, then.

[Yet Another Anon]

if he succeeds in becoming DPM, I think he would be an increasingly likely candidate to succeed Brown.
Hilary Benn has got a lot of early mileage out of name recognition, I think he will have problems maintaining that position.

[Matt Wright]

Chris, you are wrong about Wales where the party is back on track big style. In my constituency of the Vale of Clwyd we have just won a by-election in Rhyl East! There hasn't been a Tory councillor there for 40 years! We are working our socks off and winning,

Matt

[honestyoverspin]

From the Guardian

David Cameron declared yesterday that the Conservative party was "remarkably united" behind his wish to keep Britain in the EU

Still think its about immigrants then? Do you all agree that we are remarkably united on the subject? So all 3 party's are committed to the EU, fair enough. If we are to be in the EU we should be in the euro as well.....why not. I would rather pay my tax to those who govern me, not a superfluous talking shop so how can I send my tax to the EU parliament? If he can make that statement knowing it is not true and will not offer a referendum then really is son of Blair. All 3 parties support an elected house of lords, why? It is a disastrous idea. "overwhelming public demand for a democratically elected upper chamber' Jack Straw in Parliament yesterday.... the EU is central to repairing our democratic system of government, we either accept it and try and change it or we leave.....