Betfair Slash Odds Theresa May Leaving Number 10 in 2017

After a disastrous closing speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on October 4th Betfair have slashed odds on British Prime Minister Theresa May leaving her post in 2017. Her speech, which was built up beforehand as a make or break moment for the leader of the Tory Party, couldn’t have gone much worse as she stumbled, faltered and was heckled by a prankster before the stage around her literally began to fall apart. As confidence in May continues to plummet so too do Betfair’s odds on her leaving 10 Downing Street before the end of the year.

P45 Time?

During her calamitous speech, May was presented with a P45 by a prankster and comedian Lee Nelson in a moment that was at best difficult to watch. The Prime Minister tried to laugh it off but beneath her limp smile was an overwhelming sense of resignation. With May again failing to inspire confidence the bookies have been quick to cut the odds on her bowing out before the end of 2017. Betfair slashed their odds on the Prime Minister being delivered her real P45 soon from 9/1 to 5/2 while is now also odds-on at the Betfair Exchange to become the next party leader to leave her position.

Odds Shortening

Following the speech, a spokesperson for Betfair Politics, Katie Bayliss, said: “With media reports that a number of Tory party members are starting a movement to persuade her to stand aside, her odds of reaching the end of the year as leader have shortened from 9/1 to 5/2. May’s at 2/5 to be the next party leader to leave her position and if she goes, Boris Johnson is the leading contender to take over, with his odds shortening in the last 24 hours from 4/1 from 5/1, while David Davis is the 11/2 second favourite.”

Reacting to May’s speech Betfair Politics now have Boris Johnson, the UK Foreign Secretary, as the favourite to succeed May as Party Leader at 4/1. David Davis, the lead Brexit negotiator, is priced at 11/2 with Jacob Rees-Mogg at 17/2 and Amber Rudd at 17/2 completing the list of realistic contenders. Meanwhile, Theresa May’s Labour Party rival Jeremy Corbyn continues to see his stock rise and Labour are now priced at 11/10 to win the most seats in the next UK General Election.

Paddy Power React

Paddy Power have followed Betfair’s example by also slashing odds on a number of Tory Party leadership contenders. The Irish bookmakers now have May priced at 5/1 to be replaced before December 31st and evens that she resigns within the next 12 months. A spokesperson for Paddy Power Politics delivered the news in typical Paddy Power fashion with a nod, a wink and a pun; “The presentation of a pretend P45 was a May Day warning for the PM, and we think the real thing won’t be far behind. May might have had a persistent cough yesterday, but her Party have been persistently telling her to, erm, ‘cough’ for months.”