The UKIP leadership race – Alastair Meeks marks your card

The UKIP leadership race – Alastair Meeks marks your card

As Mike Smithson pointed out last week, these are fallow days for political betting. We have been spoiled in recent years with a nonstop cavalcade of elections, referendums and leadership contests. We are suffering withdrawal pangs. So far this summer, only UKIP have given us a full-blown leadership election. (The Lib Dems let us down by having a walkover.) Interest in this election, as in the party itself this year, has been minimal. With UKIP leadership elections being so frequent,…

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The Trump Presidency after 200 days and the ratings slump continues

The Trump Presidency after 200 days and the ratings slump continues

CNN A new CNN/SSRS poll has been published overnight and the figures look even bleaker for the property billionaire who won last year’ White House race. These are some of the findings: How Trump Is Handling Job as President Strongly approve 24% Moderately approve 14% Moderately disapprove 9% Strongly disapprove 47% Is Trump Someone You Are Proud to Have As President? Yes 34% No 63% Trust Most of What You Hear from the White House? Yes 24% No 73% First…

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Latest Brexit trackers from ORB find declining approval of the way TMay’s government is handling Brexit

Latest Brexit trackers from ORB find declining approval of the way TMay’s government is handling Brexit

Approval numbers drop by 15 points since GE2017 65% think Brexit will give UK more control over immigration The numbers are broadly in line with what other pollsters have been finding. Last week YouGov found 55% saying they thought the process was going badly with 25% saying well. The country and her party is so split what Mrs. May is almost in a no-win situation. Mike Smithson Follow @MSmithsonPB Tweet

Corbyn’s the one that’s most out of line with his party on Brexit

Corbyn’s the one that’s most out of line with his party on Brexit

YouGov Aug 1 2017 poll The contradiction can’t continue While all the focus has been on the leadership machinations within the Conservative Party Labour is getting a free ride at the moment. One things that Theresa May has got right is that her position is very much in line with the party support base as the the latest YouGov BREXIT tracker shows. Corbyn’s view on the biggest issue of all is not shared by his voters or, as recent polling…

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Angela Merkel looks well placed to continue as German Chancellor after next month’s German election

Angela Merkel looks well placed to continue as German Chancellor after next month’s German election

Wikipedia One major political betting market that so far we haven’t covered on PB is the German Federal Election on September 24th. On Betfair this is currently attracting ten times as much bets as the next CON leader. From a British perspective it will determine who will lead the most powerful economy in the EU during the Brexit negotiations. For some reason which I have never been able to fathom the French elections get far more coverage in the UK…

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Amber Rudd moves to joint 3rd CON leader favourite following speculation that she’s got Ruth Davidson’s backing

Amber Rudd moves to joint 3rd CON leader favourite following speculation that she’s got Ruth Davidson’s backing

The big unknown is whether there’ll be an early contest There’s been a flurry of speculation over Amber Rudd’s leadership chances following her trip to Scotland and a private meeting with the Scottish Tory leader, Ruth Davidson. Davidson is seen as a key player in the party election whenever that takes place following the Tory Scottish successes on June 8th. Those gains helped offset some of the losses to LAB in England. This is from James Forsyth in the Sun….

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The failure of the Tories to do a deal on MP pairing will make life miserable for ministers and CON MPs alike

The failure of the Tories to do a deal on MP pairing will make life miserable for ministers and CON MPs alike

Get ready for ambushes and unexpected Commons defeats For me the biggest UK political news this week has been the FT’s report that the Tories have failed to reach agreement with Labour at Westminster on MP pairing. This is the long standing practice that allows government MPs to miss a Parliamentary votes because an opposition one agrees not to take part as well. For ministers the ability not to have to be in the Palace of Westminster during a specific…

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The next election will be decided in Britain, not Venezuela

The next election will be decided in Britain, not Venezuela

The public is not bothered about Corbyn’s past endorsements (even if it should be) Unless Theresa May or her successor can overturn over a trend well over a century old, Labour will form the next government. Quite simply, once governments start losing seats from one election to the next, they continue losing seats until they’re in opposition. And not only did the Conservatives lost seats at the last election but the result was so tight that any further loss would…

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