What about the 5/1 that she’ll come third?

The unlikely campaign for the London Mayoralty by ex-top civil servant Siobhan Benita, continues to attract media attention with features today in the Mail on Sunday, Indy and the Observer almost all of it positve.

In terms of column inches she’s easily out-performing the LDs, the Greens and all the others in the race bar Ken/Boris and this bodes well for her in the final 18 days of campaigning.

Clearly she’s running an effective media operation and is increasingly being noticed. It’s hard to see, however, her making it to the top job and I have not got great hopes that my 250/1 bets on her will be winners.

Her main hope must be in picking up parts of the ethnic vote (she’s the only non-white), those Labour supporters who have become disenchanted with Ken and women.

She’s also likely to get credit, and perhaps even votes, for being the only one of the contenders prepared to say that she supports the third runway at Heathrow.

It’s interesting that she’s getting positive coverage from the Guardian/Observer as well as the Indy and endorsements from one or both on the final weekend could give her a closing boost.

Ladbrokes have priced her at 5/1 to come in third place which to my mind is worth a punt.

@MikeSmithsonOGH