There are now 50/1 odds Dragons’ Den star Peter Jones will be the UK’s next Prime Minister
If British politics follows the US example, allowing an outsider businessman to ascend to the helm of the nation, Peter Jones could soon be swapping the set of Dragons' Den for Number 10.
There are now 50/1 odds that Jones will be the UK's next Prime Minister, according to online betting site BetStars, after the entrepreneur confirmed earlier this week that he is considering running for the post in the wake of US-President elect Trump's surprise win.
"Donald Trump's US presidential victory has perked the interest of the best of British business," said Ian Marmion, BetStar's director of trading.
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Peter Jones has spoken of his ambition to become the UK’s next Prime Minister and given his track record of successful decision-making, we rate him at 50-1 to replace Theresa May when she says, ‘I’m out.’
Though Peter Jones’ political ambitions may sound like a tall tale, recent events have proven anything is possible and a 50-1 bet on the magnate could prove to be a sensible investment.
Jones, who is the last remaining original Dragon of the entrepreneur-funding reality show, has no doubt also been inspired by Trump's success as the boss in the US version of The Apprentice.
In the run-up to the 2015 general election, Jones called upon the next government to commit to enterprise, entrepreneurship and giving school students a "proper business education" – so there's little guessing what his focus would be if he dons a political hat in future.
His style of destroying a business pitch (see below) might also be good experience for the House of Commons.
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Fellow Dragons Deborah Meaden, Theo Paphihtis and Duncan Bannatyne can each be backed at odds of 100/1, BetStars said.
These are the same odds being offered for UK Apprentice boss Alan Sugar and Virgin tycoon Richard Branson.
Jones' odds are on a par with those of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, but politicians including Jeremy Corbyn (5/1 odds), Boris Johnson (7/1 odds) and Philip Hammond (13/1 odds) are still in the overall lead.
Theresa May is steadfastly committed to the current electoral timetable, in which the next general election will be held in 2020, though she has faced repeated calls to hold one earlier.