Boris Johnson's victory in the Conservative leadership contest at the end of last month means that several of my most long-standing bets have been settled. I backed Johnson to become the next Tory leader (along with five other candidates) in July 2017, followed by a bet on him becoming the next PM in October 2017. I also correctly advised you to bet againstJacob Rees-Mogg becoming Tory leader in February 2018 and tipped Sajid Javid and others to become the next chancellor in March 2018.
Betfair's decision to go with the later date is controversial to say the least. That said, it can argue that as a betting exchange it doesn't have a vested interest in the outcome if it had recognised the earlier date then those who had bet on Vince Cable being the first to depart would have had cause to complain.
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Still, if you had followed my advice and combined the bets you would have made a profit of 14% on the six bets. If you had treated each part of the bet separately you would have made 24.7% profit from 21 bets.
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Rachel Reeves confirms ‘workaround’ for pensioners facing tax bill on state pensionAs the full new state pension looks set to breach the tax-free personal allowance within years, the government has said anyone on just a state pension won’t have to pay income tax on the payment until the end of this parliament
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Zoopla: House prices in southern England drop for first time in 18 monthsHouse buyers could benefit from a fall in prices, triggered by a rumoured ‘property tax’ prior to the Budget, as Zoopla revealed lower prices for the first time in 18 months
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What the UK’s no-confidence vote means for the poundNews Boris Johnson is to face a vote of confidence in Parliament after a group of Conservative MPs turned against him. Saloni Sardana looks at what it might mean for the pound.
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Betting on politics: who will win Norway's general election?Tips Norway is due to go to the polls in a general election in a few months’ time. Matthew Partridge casts his eyes over the candidates and picks a favourite.
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Betting on politics: don't put your money on the SNPFeatures Scottish voters are strongly opposed to another independence referendum, says Matthew Partridge. That opens up a few tasty punts against he SNP.
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Betting on politics: odds on Labour’s total seatsFeatures Matthew Partridge looks at how many seats the bookies think Labour could get in the upcoming election.
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Betting on politics: two parliamentary seats worth a punt onFeatures Matthew Partridge takes a look at the odds on two seats up for grabs in the next general election.
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Betting on politics: odds on the next EC presidentFeatures Because of the controversial way in which Ursula von der Leyen was appointed to be the next president of the European Commission, there’s a chance that the European Parliament could refuse to confirm her.
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Betting on politics: the odds on the next Conservative leaderFeatures With the contest to become the next Conservative leader heating up, punters are pouring money into the betting exchanges. Matthew Partridge weighs up the odds.
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Betting on politics: the North of Tyne mayorFeatures Matthew Partridge turns his attention to the forthcoming mayoral election in the North of Tyne combined area, due to take place in May.
