Betting on whether or not Jeremy Hunt will be Health Secretary on the 1st of January 2018
But is there another Jeremy Hunt bet you should be making?
William Hill have a market up whether Jeremy Hunt will be Health Secretary on the 1st of January 2018. I think taking the 2/5 on him being Health Secretary on the 1st of January 2018 is the best option. Here’s why you’ll be getting a 40% return in less than ten months.
One of the things to take from the Copeland by-election is that Labour’s attempts to use the NHS to win votes isn’t effective as these tweets below confirm.
In Copeland, Labour came very close to saying vote for us or the baby gets it—and people still didn’t vote for them
— James Forsyth (@JGForsyth) February 24, 2017
In Copeland voters were given a choice. "Vote for Jeremy Corbyn or your hospital will close and you will die". They preferred death.
— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) February 24, 2017
So that should help Jeremy Hunt going forward, politically speaking a Jeremy Corbyn led Labour party is as impotent as a battalion of eunuchs, any problems with the NHS won’t be effectively exploited.
Given the way Jeremy Corbyn goes through shadow cabinet members*, it is entirely possible that constant reshuffles might not allow any shadow Health Secretary to be in the role long enough to become effective at holding the government to account.
Additionally I think Mrs May has learned from David Cameron’s example and will not make annual reshuffles, so I’d expect scandals notwithstanding, Mrs May won’t be holding a major reshuffle this year, so again that should make Jeremy Hunt secure.
Since VE Day, only Nye Bevan and Norman Fowler have served as Health Secretary longer than Jeremy Hunt has today, such endurance in looking after the NHS, which has been described as the national religion, points to an adroit politician.
Were Theresa May to fall under a bus, or were she to last as Prime Minister for a decade, Hunt would be young enough to be a plausible to be her sucessor. Coral are offering 80/1 on Jeremy Hunt as next PM, it might be worth a flutter.
TSE
*My favourite statistic of the week
More people have served in Labour's shadow cabinet since the 2015 GE (80) than served in the Thatcher / Major cabinets in total (75).
— David Herdson (@DavidHerdson) February 23, 2017