Boris is 5/2 favourite to be the next Tory leader

Ladbrokes have paid out on bets on Boris Johnson to stand in Uxbridge & South Ruislip in 2015. Despite the Mayor of London still having to go through a local selection process, the bookies quote odds of 50/1 that he fails to be selected as Tory candidate so have already settled all bets on him replace Sir John Randall as winners. The odds for Uxbridge & South Ruislip at the general election suggest Johnson has over a 98% chance of retaining the seat for the Conservatives. UKIP are the nearest challengers at 20/1.

Alex Donohue of Ladbrokes said: "We think it's a formality that Boris will be selected as the candidate and then elected as MP next May. He was already favourite to be next Tory leader and David Cameron might be looking nervously over his shoulder as the Boris bandwagon moves back to Westminster."

Ladbrokes latest betting

Uxbridge & South Ruislip general election odds:

• 1/50 Conservatives
• 20/1 UKIP
• 50/1 Labour
• 100/1 Liberal Democrats

50/1 Boris Johnson fails to be selected as Tory candidate for Uxbridge

Next Tory leader:

• 5/2 Boris Johnson
• 9/2 Theresa May
• 7/1 George Osborne
• 14/1 Michael Gove
• 16/1 Philip Hammond
• 16/1 Sajid Javid

In other political betting news the bookmaker William Hill have opened a market on how many seats UKIP will win at the General Election - and are offering odds of 9/4 that the Party will end up with five or more.

"UKIP are already odds-on to win in South Thanet where Nigel Farage is expected to stand, and are also odds-on to collect more votes than the Lib Dems, so they must have every chance of emerging from the General Election with their first MPs" said Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe.