Who could be the next Home Secretary? PolHome runners and riders
4 min read
Theresa May is poised to appoint a new Home Secretary after Amber Rudd dramatically quit last night over the Windrush scandal. Here are the runners and riders with odds from Ladbrokes.
Sajid Javid is the bookies’ favourite with evens after he made an impassioned intervention on the Windrush scandal saying it could have been his mum, dad, or even himself wrongly caught up in an illegal immigration crackdown. The Communities Secretary has a big job on his hands to fix the housing crisis - although we have seen some of his more radical ideas to boost the sector get rejected. Now could be a good time to refresh the housing brief and get the Home Office back on track in one fell swoop.
Michael Gove was at the top spot before Rudd resigned but has been knocked down to 5/1. The Environment Secretary has been making the right kind of headlines in his current job and has a knack for getting into a department and making his mark fast. He could be the revolutionary thinker needed to fix the Windrush crisis with bold measures and completely refresh immigration policy ahead of Brexit. However it is known that he takes handling the environment brief very seriously as the UK quits the EU and takes control of its farming policy, and he might not want to give up his role of trying to save the planet.
JAMES BROKENSHIRE is at 8/1 and has the backing of political punters, with most of the betting cash pouring in on him, according to Ladbrokes. The former Northern Ireland Secretary could well be looking for another big job after he took time off work to have a lung operation. Now recovering, he could be the right man to take over the Home Office brief and quietly put things right. But critics might point out that he failed to resolve the Stormont crisis despite months of talks.
Karen Bradley could be worth a punt on 6/1. The current Northern Ireland Secretary finds herself between a rock and a hard place juggling the Stormont crisis and might be looking for a challenge where she can actually get some work done. Working in the Home Office features among a range of other past roles - so she comes with experience.
Jeremy Hunt is in with a chance at 6/1. He has certainly proved himself resilient after fending off the junior doctors and... well, just being the Health Secretary for a long time. The health brief is such a slog that Hunt might be eager for a change - but there is no chance of finding any respite at the Home Office. Hunt not too long ago said Health Secretary would be his last big job in politics. Maybe there's room for at least another last?
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