SMART MONEY ON CONSERVATIVES TO WIN 48-SEAT MAJORITY
A BETTING surge has put Boris Johnson on course to win a 48-seat majority by trouncing Labour in its heartlands.
Punters have handed over nearly £1million and the money is on the Conservatives to romp to victory
Analysis of bets made through Smarkets, an online betting exchange, predicts nine of the top 20 Leave voting seats are set to fall to the Tories.
They include previously rock-solid Labour seats like Bolsover in Derbyshire, which has been held by former miner Dennis Skinner since 1970.
Brexit-backing Dudley North, one of the key targets for the Tories, has the highest chance of switching from Labour to the Tories at 89 per cent.
Ashfield, Stoke-on-Trent North, Great Grimsby, Scunthorpe, West Bromwich West and Bassetlaw are all predicted to turn blue.
The analysis found there is almost a one-in-two chance of other Leave seats being lost.
Mr Johnson is hoping to smash through the so-called red wall of Labour seats in the North and Midlands by pledging to deliver Brexit by January 31.
The analysis by Smarkets is based on the £880,000 gambled on results in individual constituencies.
Sarbjit Bakhshi, the firm’s head of political markets, said: “Traders are expecting significant losses to the Tories in parts of the country that have always voted Labour.
“The election could be won or lost in these seats.”
BORIS Johnson yesterday guaranteed that a trade deal with the European Union will be sewn up by the end of 2020.
The Prime Minister also said his Withdrawal Agreement with Brussels will be brought back to Parliament before Christmas if he wins the General Election
The double-whammy of good news came as Mr Johnson urged voters for one final election push with just six days left to stop Jeremy Corbyn getting into No 10.
He said that after Britain’s EU exit on January 31, under a Tory majority government, it will take no more than 12 months to thrash out the all important Free Trade Agreement with Brussels.
It will mean that by next Christmas, Britain will be totally free to trade without any hindrance from the European Union once and for all.
Speaking to workers at a knitwear factory near Matlock, in Derbyshire, the PM said his own Brexit deal could be brought back to Parliament “before you cook your Christmas turkey” if the Tories get a majority.
And he gave his strongest assurance yet over a trade deal with the bloc.
Grace
Asked if he would “absolutely promise” to get a trade deal with the EU by the end of the transition period, Mr Johnson said he thought he could.
He said: “We already have a deal.And we can come out on January 31 in a state of perfect equilibrium and grace with the rest of the European Union because we have a zero-tariff, zero-quota position now.
“I’ve absolutely no doubt at all that we’ll be able to make sure that the EU protects its own interests and has a deal with us that ensures that continues for the future.
“If you say, ‘Can I absolutely guarantee that we’ll get a deal’, I think I can and I’ll tell you why.
“Look at what we achieved in three months with the new deal that I did.
“We did it and it’s a great deal and it will take this country forward and I’m very proud of it.”
Mr Johnson said that if Labour came to power, the next 12 months would be wasted on new Brexit and Scottish referendums.
Holding a new woollen scarf emblazoned with the motto Get Brexit Done, Mr Johnson issued the rallying cry: “Seven days to unleash this country’s potential and get it surging forward again.”