Santa may not be the only visitor calling by this Christmas after the prospect of hopeful MPs knocking on doors ahead of a December general election in the UK was heavily gambled this week.
The likely date of the next election was pushed back when Parliament was suspended, with MPs not expected back until October 14th. Parliament must be dissolved 25 working days before a general election, meaning November and December are now firmly in the frame.
We rate December as the most likely month this year to stage the poll after it was gambled into 11/10 from a high of 10/1 this week, while a General Election in November is an 11/5 chance.
It’s less likely at 2/1 that 2019 passes without a visit to the polling station at all.
There has not been a UK General Election in December since 1923, when the Conservatives won most seats in a hung Parliament that eventually led to a Labour government with Liberal support.
That prospect could be on the cards again, with the Tories 8/15 favourites to win most seats, but no overall majority is also an odds-on shot at 1/2
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