Picture – Matthaeus Loder – The Card Layer – Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg

Last year’s PB Predictions Competition proved to be somewhat like Winston Churchill: popular but very difficult.  In true Churchillian ‘never-say-die’ spirit we thought you might like to come back for more punishment.

To enter you simply need to post your answers to the following 14 questions before the end of January 2025.  If you can put the word ‘competition’ in your post it will help me to collate entries and report results from time to time throughout the year. 

Like last year, the winner of this competition will win a £100 Amazon gift card courtesy of TSE.

The Questions:

1. Highest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform.
2. Lowest share of the vote in 2025 with a BPC registered pollster in a GB wide poll for each of Lab, Con, LD, Reform.
3. Number of Reform MPs on 31/12/2025.
4. Number of Tory MP defectors to Reform in 2025.
5. Number of Westminster by-elections held in 2025.
6. Number of ministers to leave the Westminster cabinet during 2025.
7. Number of seats won by the AfD in the 2025 German Federal Election.
8. UK CPI figure for November 2025 (Nov 2024 = 2.6%).
9. UK borrowing in the financial year-to-November 2025 (Year to Nov 2024 = £113.2bn).
10. UK GDP growth in the 12 months to October 2025 (Oct 23 to Oct 24 = 1.3%).
11. US growth annualised rate in Q3 2025 (Q3 2024 = 3.1%). 
12. EU growth Q3 2024 to Q3 2025 (2024 = 1.0%).
13. USD/Ruble exchange rate at London FOREX close on 31/12/2025 (31/12/2024 = 114 USD/RUB).
14. The result of the 2025-2026 Ashes series (2023 series: Drawn 2–2).

The questions are weighted equally with 20 points for a correct or a closest answer and 10 points for a near miss, or other point allocation at the editorial team’s discretion as appropriate to the question.  The editorial team will have the final say in case of any disputes.  The final results will be announced soon after 8 January 2026, when question 14 will be settled.

So, what are you waiting for?  Go on, have a go, you know you want to!

Ben Pointer