Bookies slash odds of early general election after Boris Johnson asks Queen to suspend parliament

Laura Mowat
Updated
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a news conference at the end of the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, August 26, 2019. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Boris Johnson has asked the Queen to suspend parliament. (GETTY)

Bookies have slashed the odds of a general election this year after Boris Johnson asked the Queen to suspend Parliament in September.

The prime minister will temporarily close down the House of Commons from the second week of September until October 14 when there will be a Queen’s Speech to open a new session of Parliament.

Some have said the move is a bid to stop rebel MPs from blocking a no-deal Brexit.

Ladbrokes cut its odds for a November election from 2/1 to 11/8. William Hill also offers odds of 11/8 for Britain going to the polls before the end of the year.

Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home in London, Britain August 27, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
Corbyn has accused Boris Johnson of carrying out a "smash and grab on our democracy". (GETTY)

Betfair said the chances of a November general election went from 11/4 yesterday down to 9/4 this afternoon, with the same odds for an election in October.

William Hill spokesman Joe Crilly said: “The odds of a November general election have come in and it looks like it will be a matter of weeks between the Queen’s Speech, Brexit and the next General Election.”

Ladbrokes has said there is a 100/1 chance of a September general election, 7/2 chance of an October general election, 16/1 general election for a December vote and 13/8 for 2020 or later.”

York, England - April 17, 2011: Sign of William Hill bookmakers in York. William Hill is one of the largest bookmakers in the UK.
William Hill has said that the odds of a November General Election have tumbled. (GETTY)

Oddschecker spokesman Callum Wilson said: “British politics is rife with uncertainty and instability, so it would be fitting for an election to be called in 2019 to throw another cat amongst the pigeons.

"At Oddschecker, we've seen a flurry of bets placed on October being the month of the next General Election... over the last 24 hours."

Read more on Yahoo News:

Jeremy Corbyn agrees to prioritise cross-party legislation to stop no-deal Brexit

Boris Johnson set to suspend Parliament in September to block no-deal Brexit revolt

Betfair spokesperson Katie Baylis said: “In what has been another unprecedented 24 hours for British politics, as you would expect, the Betfair Exchange political odds markets have been moving and shaking all day. One of the big talking points is whether we are likely to see a General Election this year, particularly in the next couple of months.”

Paddy Power has said that there is a 2/5 chance of 2019 being the year of the next general election, followed by 9/4 for 2020 and 25/1 for 2021.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 24: Queen Elizabeth II welcomes newly elected leader of the Conservative party, Boris Johnson during an audience where she invited him to become Prime Minister and form a new government in Buckingham Palace on July 24, 2019 in London, England. The British monarch remains politically neutral and the incoming Prime Minister visits the Palace to satisfy the Queen that they can form her government by being able to command a majority, holding the greater number of seats, in Parliament. Then the Court Circular records that a new Prime Minister has been appointed. (Photo by Victoria Jones - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Many Remainer MPs are furious at Boris' demands for the UK parliament to be shut down. (GETTY)

They give Jeremy Corbyn 9/4 odds of being the next prime minister.

Betfair Exchange has said that the no-deal Brexit odds are 5/4 or a 44% chance of happening.

If Mr Johnson wants to call an early general election, he needs at least 66% of MPs to agree to it.

The latest YouGov/Times survey has the Tories holding a lead over their rivals with 32% of the vote share compared to Labour’s 22% and the Lib Dems’ 20%.