Who is going to be the next one in the job?

This is the Betfair market on the next home secretary which, given the current pressure on Jacqui Smith, might just be something that could take off fast.

I find this a hard call but the chances of her hanging in there until a 2009 or 2010 general election must be pretty slim. So which of the current Labour ministers on the list would get the promotion.

I quite fancy Edward Miliband but 4/1 seems far from generous. Alan Johnson (2/1 favourite) could be asked to switch – he’d probably be a safe pair of hands and could give a bit of stability to a post that has become Labour’s poison chalice.

Mike Smithson