Will Truss Last as PM?

According to UK bookmakers, Liz Truss will have a shorter premiership than Theresa May, who served 1,106 days.

Truss is to be appointed as the UK’s new prime minister after winning the race to succeed Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative Party against former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak on Monday. Truss won 57% of party members’ votes in a closer-than-expected margin.

Judging by the short odds of 4/6 that Liz Truss will serve as PM for less time them Theresa May, is quite telling how the public feel about her; to the point that bookmakers aren’t ruling out her serving the shortest reign in history at 40/1.

Meanwhile, despite having only just been ousted from the top job, Boris Johnson is the third favourite to move back into No 10 as the Prime Minister after Next General Election, with odds of 16/1.

Truss may be just entering the job, but if we look one step ahead, at 5/4, she isn’t the favourite to remain PM after the next general election, as that remains in the hands of Labour leader Keir Starmer at 8/11. Therefore, judging by the numbers only, the Tories may well, once again, find themselves looking for a replacement of their leader.

And although Johnson is behind both Truss and Starmer, whatever your opinion on Johnson, there is no doubting he is a unique character on the politics scene and perhaps, most pertinently, Johnson can still point out that just three years ago he won the biggest Tory majority since 1987.

“And should Truss lose the next general election and the Tories need to find a leader with past form in winning elections, Johnson could throw his name in the hat to return. Time will tell!

Author: Carolyn Horton