Boris Johnson exit date odds & by-election reaction: PM 6-4 to leave in 2022

Political betting tips, latest prices and analysis following the Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton by-elections

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is 6-4 to leave before the end of the year after the Conservatives suffered two by-elections defeats on Thursday.

Johnson has vowed to fight on despite seeing Wakefield return to Labour and the Liberal Democrats overturn a Tory majority of more than 24,000 in the Devon constituency of Tiverton & Honiton.

Pressure on the PM, who is in Rwanda attending a conference of Commonwealth leaders, further ramped up when party co-chairman Oliver Dowden resigned in the early hours of Friday morning and said: "someone has to take the blame."

Former party leader Michael Howard said Johnson should leave his post following the defeats.

The loss of the seats will have little effect on the ability of the government to do its business as the Conservatives still enjoy a healthy House of Commons majority of 77.

And while Tory backbenchers will be anxious about their chances at the next general election, which will have to be held before January 11, 2025, one stumbling block is that it is less than three weeks since Johnson, who is 1-2 with Coral and Ladbrokes not be leader at the next election, survived a confidence vote.

Under the rules of the influential Conservative 1922 Committee, Johnson cannot face another confidence vote for 12 months, so his future could still remain in his own hands.

But bookmakers believe it will be difficult for the Conservatives to maintain their majority at the next election, with bet365 going 13-5 that they will gain enough seats.

Labour are a general 7-2 to form a majority government while a hung parliament is 8-11 with Coral, Ladbrokes and Hills.

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