FORMER Parachute Regiment army officer Dan Jarvis, MP for Barnsley Central, has emerged as a serious contender for the Labour leadership.
Bookmakers William Hill have already cut his odds from 7/1 to 4/1 since Ed Miliband resigned. 'Mr Jarvis had been attracting a steady stream of bets to become the next Labour leader even before the General Election result was known and is now the main challenger to the predictable trio of fancied runners - Andy Burnham and Chuka Umunna, the 9/4 joint favourites, and 7/2 third favourite Yvette Cooper, who has already attracted a bet of £2000.
TO BE NEXT ELECTED LABOUR LEADER....9/4 Burnham; Umunna; 7/2 Cooper; 4/1 Jarvis; 10/1 Liz Kendall; 12/1 Tristram Hunt; 16/1 Harriet Harman; 20/1 Alan Johnson; David Miliband; Rachel Reeves; 25/1 Keir Starmer. Others on request...
BORIS FAVOURITE TO SUCCEED CAMERON
DESPITE their surprise outright victory, the Conservatives will be looking for a new leader before the next General Election is David Cameron sticks to his decision not to serve another term and Boris Johnson is the 9/4 favourite to succeed him as leader, with Theresa May 11/2 and George Osborne 8/1 Philip Hammond; 12/1 Sajid David; 16/1 Michael Gove.
Hills are hoping that back-bencher Justin Tomlinson does not become a contender - as they would have to pay nhim £500,000 as a result of the £50 bet at odds of 10,000/1 that he put on himself when he was a university student, ever to become Prime Minister!
6/4 EU REFERENDUM PRODUCES A 'QUIT' VERDICT
WILLIAM HILL offer 6/4 that an in/out EU Referendum held before 2019 will produce a 'Quit' result, but make 'Stay in' the 1/2 favourite.
It is 1/10 that the in/out Referendum takes place by 2019, 11/2 that it does not.
WITH OVER TWENTY MILLION POUNDS STAKED ON THE OUTCOME THE 2015 GENERAL ELECTION WAS THE MOST GAMBLED-ON EVER, SAY BOOKMAKERS WILLIAM HILL. 'Political betting is now our most popular non-sporting betting event - attracting even more money than the Royal Baby and Reality TV' said Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe.
