Opinion on Conservative MP Boris Johnson may be split across Britain but it seems his popularity in the Capital may see him elected as the next Mayor of London.
Bookmakers William Hill reports a flurry of bets for Boris Johnson to become Mayor with the majority of them having been placed in the last few days.
'Ninety per cent of the bets we have taken this week have been for Boris' said Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe.
The unusual Tory politician and former editor of the Spectator magazine is an MP for Henley and was the front bench spokesman as Shadow Minister for Higher Education before deciding to throw his hat into the ring for the Mayor ship.
After declaring to the press that he would run for the position he said “The opportunity is too great and the prize too wonderful to miss... the chance to represent London and speak for Londoners.”
William Hill currently make Boris 2/1 second favourite, with Ken Livingstone the 1/2 favourite.
The sitting Mayor, Ken Livingstone of Labour, will be hoping to win his third consecutive vote. He has courted controversy during his seven year reign but received huge praise for the calming and practical role he played in the aftermath of the July 7 bombings in 2005.
Conservatives hope that London wants a younger fresher face at the helm. Livingstone turned 62 this year while Boris Johnson is in comparison just 43 years old.
Meanwhile William Hill are offering odds of 9/1 on former BBC boss Greg Dyke though the journalist and broadcaster has not confirmed his intention to run.
Odds of 16/1 are being offered for Liberal Democrat front bencher Simon Hughes though the MP from the constituency of North Southwark and Bermondsey only won 14.82 per cent of first preference votes when he ran against Livingstone in 2004.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
