Keir Starmer Odds Boost As Labour Lead Tories In Polls
Sir Keir Starmer’s odds of taking Labour into the next UK general election have dramatically improved in recent months on the best betting sites following a flip in the opinion polls compared to Boris Johnson.
Starmer, who succeeded Jeremy Corbyn in April 2020, had endured a middling first year as Labour leader during which he was criticised for not holding the UK government to account during the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But, over the past three months his popularity has spiked, along with his odds, as the general public warm to the former director of public prosecutions.
Starmer now has a positive approval rating for the first time in a year. What’s more, his rise in favourability has coincided with a dramatic fall in trust for the prime minister Boris Johnson, who now has a -24% approval rating.
And those personal polling figures are also reflected on the wider party scale, with Labour now leading the Conservatives by four points in the polls.
Keir Starmer Betting Latest
Political betting sites are taking notice of Starmer’s rise in popularity, as data shows that UK bookmakers have slashed their odds on the Labour leader’s chances of taking his party in to the next general election – scheduled for summer 2024.
Starmer’s odds were priced at 8/15 back in October when the first sleaze scandal – the Owen Paterson affair – hit the Tory party. Over the last few weeks further scrutiny was placed on the government, in particular the controversy around Johnson’s allies hosting Christmas parties in Downing Street in 2020.
Starmer has enjoyed a free hit at Johnson for weeks over these allegations, which the PM has now been backed into a corner over.
And that has seen Starmer’s odds on leading Labour into the next election come in to 1/6 with William Hill. The difference is a shift from 65% to 86% on the likelihood of Starmer keeping his job – and signifies his strong position within the Labour party right now.
Can Starmer Beat Johnson In A UK Election?
The pressure on Johnson to resign intensified further in January following revelations that he partied with staff at No 10 during the first Covid-19 lockdown in May 2020.
Johnson has apologised, but the heat is on - with the influential 1922 Committee having the power to topple him, if there is enough pressure from backbenchers.
Seeing Johnson either quit or be sacked from office would be a major boost for Starmer – particularly because he is considered far less electable against a populist figure such as the PM.
Labour would dearly love to head into the next election against any leader other than Johnson. And political betting odds currently back up that fear. After all, despite the sleaze scandals the Conservatives remain the favourites at Evens to win the next election with Ladbrokes.
Meanwhile, Labour remain way out at 6/1. Ousting Johnson – regardless of his toxicity right now – may be their only genuine chance to wrestling power off the Tories in 2024.
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