Want to read more political stories? Consider donating to The Caledonian Mercury
At first, there were three of them: Scots journalists formerly of this parish and all of them tipped (by some) to replace Andy Coulson as the chief spin doctor at No 10 Downing Street.
They were Fraser Nelson, one-time political editor of The Scotsman and now editor of The Spectator; Iain Martin, former editor of The Scotsman and now at the Wall Street Journal in London; and Benedict Brogan, formerly a senior Westminster correspondent for the Herald and now deputy editor of the Daily Telegraph.
Now, though, only one – Ben Brogan – is listed in the potential names of those in the running and even he is now out at 16/1.
There is no mention of Nelson or Martin, both of whom seem to have slipped off the radar.
Those in the market for a political punt, though, should keep a eye on Gabby Bertin, currently one of Cameron’s press officers but who was placed on the betting market after a request by a senior political source and has since attracted significant money.
Alex Donohue of Ladbrokes said: “Bertin is all the rage for the position and it appears to only be a matter of time before she displaces Birrel as the favourite. Matt Tee is an intriguing contender given his CV and he could be another runner to attract some shrewd money as the search continues.”
The current Ladbrokes odds are:
Next Downing Street communications officer:
Ian Birrell - 2/1
Gabby Bertin - 3/1
Guto Harri - 4/1
George Pascoe-Watson - 8/1
Tom Bradby - 8/1
Matt Tee - 12/1
Danny Finkelstein - 14/1
James Landale - 14/1
Ben Brogan - 16/1
Steve Hilton - 16/1
Want to read more political stories? Consider donating to The Caledonian Mercury
Related posts: