April 9, 2008
Gamblers think Brown has less chance of winning a majority than Blair at his most unpopular
Gordon Brown is losing friends among gamblers.
Punters on Betfair, an online betting exchange that works like a stock market, now think there is just a 23 per cent chance of him winning a majority at the next election.
That means he has now slipped behind Tony Blair — who had better prospects of winning a majority at the height of his unpopularity.
You can see the “Blair trough” and the “Brown low” in this graph, which shows the trends in betting on Labour winning a majority since the 2005 election.
The lengthening of the odds on Brown has accelerated in recent weeks.
The Conservatives, meanwhile, have moved up to 40 per cent — making a Tory majority the most likely outcome at the next election.
