Given Hancock’s likely election fate who can blame him?

Given Hancock’s likely election fate who can blame him?

My guess is that over the next couple of years we’re going to see quite a number of stories like that involving the former Health Secretary, Hancock, in the papers this morning. Given what is happening in the polls it is very hard to envisage more than a handful of Tories remaining after the general election and all 360 Tory MPs must be worried about their job security. Even those sitting MPs with substantial majorities will find it hard to…

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Sorry Iain you’ve got this wrong

Sorry Iain you’ve got this wrong

This is certainly one of the most interesting new developments today and the BBC has got it right. I’m sure they will have a different lead for other bulletins tonight. TV news bulletins should essentially be about what is different about the world today compared with yesterday that will interest the audience. The Hancock move also highlights a bigger issue of whether our elected representatives should be doing this. I am sure we all recall the fuss when the Nadine…

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Punters give Sunak a 23% chance of winning the general election

Punters give Sunak a 23% chance of winning the general election

Above is the Smarkets betting market on who will be the prime minister after the next general election. As can be seen punters are still very strongly with Starmer while Sunak is down as a 23% chance. Clearly there is a very long way to go but Sunak’s prospects don’t look good given how poorly the party has been performing in the opinion polls. There has been some improvement but we need to see what happens in the next few…

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Some better MidTerms polling for the Dems

Some better MidTerms polling for the Dems

The US mid-term elections, taking place a week tomorrow, look as though they’re going to be very tight indeed. The Republicans appear certain to take the House of Representatives but in the Senate it is a completely different picture and there’s a good chance that the Democrats will be able to hold on to control of the Senate. At the moment the Democratic-Republican split in the Senate is 50-50 which means that the Vice President Kamala Harris has the casting…

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Is there any way back for the Tories?

Is there any way back for the Tories?

Although things are slightly better on the poll chart for the Tories the party still has very substantial double-digit deficits to make-up if it is to stand any chance at all at the next election of remaining in power. On the face of it this looks impossible. Sunak has got into a bit of a mess with his Home Sec appointment and that is going to take some explaining. Best poll for the party since Sunak took over was Opinium…

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Will the Truss link be as damaging to the CON brand as Corbyn was to LAB?

Will the Truss link be as damaging to the CON brand as Corbyn was to LAB?

The sure way of knowing that the Tories are in serious trouble is when they they seek to associate Starmer with his predecessor Corbyn. Even Sunak got into the act at his first PMQs. Back at GE2019 a strategy of reminding voters of the Corbyn connection played a big part in Johnson’s victory but it is much harder to get it to resonate now. Time has moved on. I just wonder whether Labour could use the same approach reminding voters…

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Defection watch

Defection watch

This betting opportunity from Smarkets is worth looking at, the market is about a Tory MP defecting to Labour by the end of the year, my hunch is plenty of you will fancy a seven per cent return in just over two months. I wonder if the value is with yes, the grim reality for Tory MPs is that the smallest Labour lead this month is a mere 16%, if you want to save your career the best option is…

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The establishment cost PBers a 250/1 winner

The establishment cost PBers a 250/1 winner

This story is genuinely jaw dropping Liz Truss’s personal phone was hacked for top-secret information by suspected Russian agents, according to the Mail on Sunday. The attackers are said to have gained access to details of negotiations with international allies, as well as private messages exchanged with her close friend Kwasi Kwarteng. The hack was uncovered during the Tory leadership campaign this summer, while Ms Truss was foreign secretary but the details were suppressed by then prime minister Boris Johnson and Simon…

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