StarSports have a betting market up on where Parliament will decant to during the restoration of the Palace of Westminster, it is understandable why York is the favourite following reports and comments by the Prime Minister in recent days.

I can see the attraction of why Parliamentarians would want to move to York, a wonderful city in the finest county in the United Kingdom, close to Yorkshire Dales, which undoubtedly was the site of the Garden of Eden. It also has fantastic and direct rail links with most of the major cities and towns in Great Britain which also makes appealing for so many of our MPs.

However on a practicable basis I cannot see a move outside of London, not only would it require MPs and peers to move, as well as their advisers. The ministers who need to report to Parliament would need their retinue of SPADs and civil servants to move up North as well. Whilst I can see the attraction for the scrutiny dodging Boris Johnson having a large geographical distance between Parliament and the executive I can’t see Parliament going for it. I’m not sure if York has the infrastructure to deal with that for anything than a very short time frame.

So I believe the value in this market is to take the 2/5 on Parliament to remain in London.

TSE

PS – If you want to know how brilliant York is, go stay at The Grand Hotel, which is a two minute walk from York railway station, you won’t regret it, I’ve spent many a happy memory there.