THE ODDS on Prime Minister Gordon Brown calling an early election have been slashed in light of Labour’s comfortable victory in the Glenrothes by-election.
It’s now odds on at 10/11 that the next UK General Election takes place in 2009, according to bookies Paddy Power, while it’s just 2/1 that it takes place as early as June of next year.
Before Thursday’s by-election the bookie was offering odds of 7/4 on an election occurring in 2009.

The difference now means Brown is 16 per cent more likely to call an early election after his victory in the Scottish constituency.

The odds of the country going to the polls before the end of this year are 20/1.

Darren Haines, spokesman for Paddy Power, said: “The Brown Bounce seems to be having an even more immediate effect than the Labour’s bigwigs probably expected and they will no doubt be studying the implications very closely this morning.