The Deputy Speaker election is hard to call
Ladbrokes Deputy Speaker 11/8 Laing 3/1 Streeter 4/1 Bellingham 5/1 Burns 8/1 Binley 20/1 Amess 33/1 Dorries pic.twitter.com/XvR30Ci4Zy
— Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) October 15, 2013
I can’t get excited about the election of the new deputy speaker to replace Nigel Evans. Usually I like to bet based on some knowledge and detailed analysis. On this one, frankly, I don’t know.
The favourite is Eleanor Laing who I met when she chaired a session I was speaking at at the CON conference in October 2009. I liked her then and think she would be good in the role.
There’s been a flurry of activity over Simon Burns who resigned as a minister so that he could fight for the job. The real interest in his move is that he’s openly hostile to the John Bercow with whom he would have to work. He once described called Bercow a “stupid, sanctimonious, dwarf”.
I’ve just got a feeling that this might strike a chord with some Tories and his 5/1 price seems quite good. I put a small bet on at 6/1.
Mike Smithson
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