The Brexit stalemate is playing into the hands of the former Foreign Secretary.
Boris Johnson has shortened as far as 5/2 to be the next Conservative Party leader as Theresa May’s indecision over Brexit continues to frustrate grass-roots membership.
The last time his price was that short was June 2017, when the Prime Minister had failed to win a majority in the general election and he went as short as 5/4 to take over.
Johnson has accrued 49% of bets on the market in the last 24 hours as punters react to the news that the 54-year-old has topped the latest next leader run-off poll by ConHome.
The swell in popularity comes as cross-party Brexit talks fail to bear fruit and support for Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party reaches an all-time high.
Though unpopular with many of his remainer colleagues in parliament, Johnson’s promise of a harder Brexit is striking a chord with large swathes of the party membership.
Johnson is also the 3/1 favourite to be the next Prime Minister, putting him well clear of opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn at 11/2.
Oddschecker spokesperson George Elek: “Recent polls suggest that Johnson is the clear choice of Conservative MPs to be the next leader as the party looks for someone to deliver on the Brexit vote.
“The divisive character would not be such a popular choice in other areas, although previous favourite Jacob Rees-Mogg's odds of 40/1 will provide some comfort.”
