The bookies have spoken! Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are a losing bet (Image: Getty)

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves had a dreadful 2025. They’re now the most hated Prime Minister and Chancellor in polling history. Even the Financial Times, which naively endorsed Labour in the 2024 election, admits “there’s a real dislike, even loathing” for them. If that’s what its backers think, imagine the fury felt by those who saw the disaster coming, as most Daily Express readers did.

Even they won’t have imagined just how terrible Labour would be. Starmer and Reeves lied their way into power and wreaked havoc with the economy, crushing jobs and growth, and driving up inflation, while chucking hard-working taxpayers’ money at public sector workers and benefit claimants.

Starmer and Reeves think they can tax, borrow and spend their way to growth, when all that does is dig a deeper hole.

They’re rightly loathed but here’s a happy thought for 2026. Their time is almost up.

My father always said that if you want to know what’s really going on, check the bookies. They have real money on the table, and don’t muck about. So I did.

And when I saw that William Hill has Keir Starmer odds-on to step down as PM in 2026, my New Year’s Day hangover magically cleared. Starmer is 4/6 to go, which means there’s a 60% chance he won’t see out the year in No 10. I wish it was higher, but let’s cling to that.

Better still, we won’t have to wait too long. He’s most likely to get his cards between April and June, either side of the local elections in May, which are set to be a bloodbath for Labour.

And here’s even better news. Our rampantly dishonest and incompetent Chancellor is also odds on to step down in 2026.

William Hill puts her odds at 4/9, which works out as almost a 70% chance she’ll be out.

Let’s hope that proves a winning bet, because the country can’t take much more of her bungling.

Their low odds of survival aren’t exactly surprising. Starmer or Reeves aren’t up to the job. But the Labour politician tipped to replace them shocked me.

I thought Angela Rayner was a shoo-in. She’s a woman, and Labour has never dared appoint one of those. They’ll want to put that right. The grassroots love her and will happily ignore her tax dodging, even as they push for more tax on those who do pay.

But no, Rayner is only second place in the leadership stakes at 9/2, according to Bet365, which works out at just over 18%.

Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham and home secretary Shabana Mahmood are neck and neck, with odds of 15/2 and 7/1.

My biggest fear is that Ed Miliband could win and ruin us all, but mercifully he’s trailing in fifth place with odds of 8/1. That helped my cornflakes go down.

So the shock front runner? Health secretary Wes Streeting. He’s comfortably ahead with odds of 3/1 and, for my money, is the best of a terrifying bunch. Certainly better than Starmer, anyway.

Personally, I think Streeting is too sensible to appeal to Labour MPs and activists, but like I said, don’t bet against the bookies.

If they’re right, we’re odds on for a better year politically. Don’t get too excited though. There’s still a 40% chance Starmer will survive.