Iain Dale Predicts Next PM: Was He Right?
24 June 2016, 16:53 | Updated: 12 August 2016, 09:31
When David Cameron resigned, Iain Dale tried to predict who would be the next Prime Minister: was he right?
This is how Iain called it as:
Boris Johnson - 4/6 favourite
I don't think this is a shoo-in for Boris Johnson and I suspect Boris Johnson knows that himself. He's not massively popular on the Tory back benches. If they want an election winner, yes they'll go for Boris Johnson, but what they need now surely is someone who can unite the country who has got a bit of economic expertise. Is that Boris Johnson? I'm not so sure. He's got to convince the Tory backbenchers to put him in the final two - and if he gets in there, I imagine he would win.
Theresa May - 11/4
A lot of people are saying she could be a unifying candidate, but it's difficult to see as she was on the Remain side. Like Jeremy Corbyn, she hid it well and said virtually nothing during the campaign. There are also no such thing as May-ites on the Tory backbenches, she hasn't got a lot of friends, so she'd come from a standing start.
Michael Gove - 7/1
He's always said that he would never want to be Tory leader because he doesn't think he can do the job. Well I suspect Mrs Gove might have an opinion on that. Don't rule him out, he would be a very strong unifying candidate - he's very popular, very nice, very polite. There would be question marks over some of his foreign policy and security ideas. He's not exactly a fan of civil liberties.
Andrea Leadsom - 14/1
This is the one I think you should look out for. Everyone thinks she's had a very good campaign. She was in the City, she was a Treasury Minister, she's not an Energy Minister. She's never actually been in the Cabinet though, which might count against her. She could be the Margaret Thatcher candidate who emerges from the pack. She looks good on television and I reckon if you were putting a cheeky bet on, this might be a very good bet indeed.
Liam Fox - 25/1
He did well in the last leadership contest, but he's been out of government. Not so sure he'd be able to unite the party, but I think he might have a tilt at it.
George Osborne - 25/1
I don't think so. David Cameron has had to resign, I think George Osborne goes with him.
Other possible candidates:
Priti Patel, Dominic Raab
