One of the quirks of modern British politics is that for the last twenty-six years whoever has been the Prime Minister has sat at Westminster for a seat on the A1 trunk road.

Margaret Thatcher’s Finchley rests at the southern end of the main route to Edinburgh; John Major’s Huntingdon is on the A1 as it goes through Cambridgeshire and Tony Blair’s Sedgefield covers both sides of the highway in County Durham.

So is this “rule” which has lasted a generation going to be broken whenever the new tenants at 10 Downing Street take over whenever that maybe.

The hot favourite to replace Mr. Blair is, of course, Gordon Brown (2/9) whose seat is at the other side of the Forth from the A1 so this would not apply. The 11/2 second favourite Charles Clark’s Norwich seat is not on the road but Alan Milburn (12/1) represents Darlington which is.

The 15/8 Tory leadership favourite David Davis is not on the road but the new riser in the betting, is the MP for Richmond in Yorkshire, William Hague which has the trunk road go right through the constituency.

Mike Smithson