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A week is a long time in politics - and it seems like an eternity since Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister following a Labour landslide at the General Election in July 2024.
Since then Nigel Farage’s Reform Party has been in the ascendancy, leading the polls and welcoming a series of high profile Conservative defectors - with Rupert Lowe now building support with his breakaway Restore Party.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been weakened by a series of u-turns, including scrapping plans to increase income tax at the last budget.
Then there’s also the ongoing scandal linking former British Ambassador to the United States Lord Mandelson to financier sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
With the next mandatory General Election not scheduled until August 2029 (that’s the latest date that it can be called) there’s still plenty of time for everything to change.
But it seems that Keir Starmer’s chances of leading his party into another nationwide poll is looking increasingly unlikely.
Here are the 12 current favourites to succeed him as next British Prime Minister - according to the bookies
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1. Angela Rayner - 12/5
In a sign that the bookies reckon Keir Starmer may not make it to the next election, the favourite to become next Prime Minister is a colleague rather than a rival. Angela Rayner, the former Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, lost her place in cabinet after she breached the ministerial code by underpaying stamp duty on a property in Hove. The bookies don't think her political career is necessarily finished yet though - she's the 12/5 favourite to take over at number 10. | AFP via Getty Images
2. Ed Miliband - 8/1
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband unexpectedly lost the 2015 General Election to David Cameron by 10 seats, effectively beginning the process of Brexit. It would be one of the more remarkable political comebacks if he was able to finally become PM more than a decade later. The bookies reckon he has a decent chance - priced at 8/1 second favourite. | Getty Images
3. Nigel Farage - 9/1
If Keir Starmer does make it to the next election as PM then there's one candidate who is clear favourite to beat him. It may have seemed unthinkable in the days following Labour's landslide victory at the last General Election, but Reform UK are now leading the polls by a quite hefty amount. Party leader Nigel Farage would seem to be on track to Downing Street, although recent revelations about his behaviour at school may not have helped his ambitions. Still, he's priced at just 9/1 to be the next Prime Minister. | Getty Images
4. Wes Streeting - 9/1
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has previously insisted he is "not challenging the Prime Minister", despite a briefing war where some close to Keir Starmer said he was after the top job. He's failed to rule out any future leadership challenge though, and seems to harbour ambitions of leading the country. He's the 9/1 fourth favourite to be next Prime Minister. | Getty Images