The David Davis price tightens to 4/5

Any idea that the new Tory leadership election rules could impact on the Shadow Home Secretary’s so far undeclared canditure for the Tories leadership have been rejected by gamblers who have pushed his price down even further.

The latest odds put Davis in the range of 4/6 to 4/5 and the signs are that this will get tighter. The fact that Tory MPs will get the final say, unilike with IDS last time, has had no impact.

In spite of the huge range of possible contenders no single person has emerged as a challenger who could take on Davis and the race is starting to look like a foregone conclusion.

The issue now is moving from who will be the next leader to when the change might happen.

A GREAT VALUE TORY LEADERSHIP BET. By far the best price you can get on Davis is in Sporting Index’s BetHILO market. This is a form of spread betting where the winner gets 50 points. Currently the Davis price is 19-22 – so you would get well above evens. But even more interesting from the firm is a spread on the age of the next Tory leader. The current range is 50-51.5 years. David Davis will be 57 in December. David Cameron is 38. A buy bet here would make you a winner if Davis, Malcom Rifkind or Ken Clarke got it. Both these spreads offer great value but the age of the next Tory leader seems to be the best one.

Mike Smithson