Theresa May's announcement this morning that she will step down as Conservative Party leader on June 7 has seen everyone asking the same question - who will replace her?
Bookmakers have been busy calculating the odds on the early runners and riders to take over at Number 10 Downing Street, as Mrs May's failure to deliver Brexit ultimately saw her left with little choice but to quit.
There is one clear early favourite, with Boris Johnson leading the stakes. Paddy Power has him at 6/4 to be the nation's next leader, odds four times lower than the next best, former Brexit secretary Dominc Raab who is listed 6/1.
The former Foreign Secretary tweeted: ''A very dignified statement from @theresa-may. Thank you for your stoical service to our country and the Conservative Party. It is now time to follow her urgings: to come together and deliver Brexit.''
Nigel Farage, leader of the newly formed Brexit Party, is more likely to be installed than Labour's Jeremy Corbyn, say the bookies.
The former UKIP leader is 25/1, with Mr Corbyn 33/1.
NEXT PRIME MINISTER ODDS:
- 6/4 Boris Johnson
- 6/1 Dominic Raab
- 9/1 David Lidington
- 12/1 Jeremy Hunt
- 12/1 Andrea Leadsom
- 14/1 Michael Gove
- 20/1 Penny Mourdant
- 22/1 Rory Stewart
- 22/1 Sajid Javid
- 25/1 Nigel Farage
- 33/1 Jeremy Corbyn
A spokesman for Paddy Power said: “As we anticipated, it’s the end of May, and now we face a battle to see who will replace her from June 7.
“Boris Johnson has been our favourite for months now, and has seen the majority of bets on the market. Whoever it is will have a major to-do list – somehow sort out the country, Brexit, and avoid being hit by any milkshakes.”
