Bookies slash odds on a general election as government descends into “chaos”

Days after the cabinet was said to be united around Theresa May’s Brexit plans, the Conservative government has all but fallen apart. Even the projectors have stopped working. And according to bookmakers across the country, a 2018 general election is looking much more likely.
Bookies have slashed the odds on there being a general election in 2018. Sites such as William Hill and Sky Bet now have this year as the most likely for another vote to be held.
Chaos
In Westminster, insiders are describing scenes of disarray after a manic 24 hours where David Davis and Boris Johnson both left the cabinet.
In a bid to get cross-party support, Brexit meetings were organised by the Conservatives on 9 July. But Guardian journalist Jessica Elgot said Labour MPs left the meeting describing a picture reminiscent of political comedy The Thick of It:
Labour MP comes out of the briefing. “Most surreal meeting ever. They are presenting a deal which is collapsing in front of our eyes. The projector doesn’t work. All anyone is talking about is Boris. It’s like the fucking Thick of It.”
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) July 9, 2018
Read on...
Support us and go ad-free
And Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer tweeted about division within the “heart” of government:
Four hours later, Boris Johnson goes. Division & chaos at the heart of govt. https://t.co/qr71HAo77x
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 9, 2018
Calls for a general election
The flurry of resignations has sparked questions of leadership contests and snap general elections. And many Labour supporters have been calling for just that:
Boris Johnson’s resignation may well sink the Tories. This is a Prime Minister with no control, she can’t be trusted with Brexit, we need a general election, and we need one now. #GE2018Now #PeoplesElection
— Rachael Swindon #GTTO (@Rachael_Swindon) July 9, 2018
David Davis has resigned. Spare us weeks of this coalition of chaos falling to pieces – and give us a general election.
— Owen Jones🌹 (@OwenJones84) July 8, 2018
One bookmaker now has the odds on a 2018 general election at just 11/8. It’s 9/4 for the government to make it through to 2022 or later without a vote.
Odds on the largest party after any such election are even tighter. The Conservatives remain marginally ahead at 4/5, while the odds on Labour are evens.
Conservative response
Despite the atmosphere of “chaos”, leading Tories are already squashing ideas of a general or leadership elections.
Speaking on the BBC, former Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps said it was a time for calm, not for a leadership contest:
@grantshapps says no time for leadership election now – understand why they felt agreement difficult, but most country would be ok with it @BBCSimonMcCoy #AfternoonLive pic.twitter.com/D9VDN6YXpH
— Rachel Kennedy (@rachelkennedy84) July 9, 2018
But not everyone took Grant Shapps’s message on board:
DON'T WORRY . KEEP CALM . Grant Shapps on BBC to reassure us all. How fucking comforting.
— Steve Scott (@scott_steve) July 9, 2018
Where next?
It hasn’t been doom and gloom for all though. Some England football supporters are already looking on the bright side:
1966 – Tory crisis after Labour general election landslide. England team succeeds.
1990 – Tory crisis after Thatcher ousted as leader. England team succeeds.
1996 – Tory crisis as Major crumbles. England team succeeds.
2018 – Tory crisis over Brexit. England team succeeds.— Daniel Storey (@danielstorey85) July 9, 2018
But the government is descending into meltdown at unprecedented speed. And it remains to be seen if more ministers will follow Johnson and Davis out of the cabinet.
What is certain is that May has been dealt a massive blow. As for a general election – well, the bookmakers are rarely wrong.
Get Involved!
– Join The Canary, so we can keep holding the powerful to account.
Featured Image via Estonian Foreign Ministry and Estonian Presidency
We need your help to keep speaking the truth
Every story that you have come to us with; each injustice you have asked us to investigate; every campaign we have fought; each of your unheard voices we amplified; we do this for you. We are making a difference on your behalf.
Our fight is your fight. You’ve supported our collective struggle every time you gave us a like; and every time you shared our work across social media. Now we need you to support us with a monthly donation.
We have published nearly 2,000 articles and over 50 films in 2021. And we want to do this and more in 2022 but we don’t have enough money to go on at this pace. So, if you value our work and want us to continue then please join us and be part of The Canary family.
In return, you get:
* Advert free reading experience
* Quarterly group video call with the Editor-in-Chief
* Behind the scenes monthly e-newsletter
* 20% discount in our shop
Almost all of our spending goes to the people who make The Canary’s content. So your contribution directly supports our writers and enables us to continue to do what we do: speaking truth, powered by you. We have weathered many attempts to shut us down and silence our vital opposition to an increasingly fascist government and right-wing mainstream media.
With your help we can continue:
* Holding political and state power to account
* Advocating for the people the system marginalises
* Being a media outlet that upholds the highest standards
* Campaigning on the issues others won’t
* Putting your lives central to everything we do
We are a drop of truth in an ocean of deceit. But we can’t do this without your support. So please, can you help us continue the fight?