Meanwhile the money piles on Ming

Less than 24 hours after having to pull out of the Lib Dem leadership race a bookmaker has opened market on whether Mark Oaten will retain his seat at the General Election.

The opening prices are 4/7 that he will and 5/4 that he won’t.

This is an interesting bet because if the Tories do manage to sustain a recovery then Lib Dem seats like Winchester could be vulnerable. Oaten is a formidable campaigner and I would not bet against him.

In the main leadership market punters have been piling onto Ming Campbell who now stands at 0.84/1 with Simon Hughes having moved out to 2.2/1. There’s been a big move behind Chris Huhne who has now tightened to 7.2/1.

Mike Smithson