Jake is a Football and Entertainment betting expert, with a Man City season ticket and a deep knowledge of reality TV betting angles
- BBC's North America Editor Jon Sopel the 2/1 bookies favourite to take over as BBC Political Editor
- Amol Rajan a 6/1 contender to take over from Laura Kuenssberg
- Reports suggest that Kuenssberg will be leaving role after 6 years in the job
BBC's North America Editor Jon Sopel the 2/1 bookies favourite for the role
Jon Sopel recently announced that he was set to leave his role as BBC North American editor after 7 years in Washington DC.
In his own words on his Twitter profile, @BBCJonSopel, he stated that he's planning a return to the UK, but also suggest that he's after a long break.
Job roles like the BBC's Political Editor don't come up too often though and the work he's done as the BBC's North America Editor may mean that they turn to him to keep the role in-house and in a safe pair of hands.
With odds of 2/1 for the role at betting sites, it suggests an implied probability that there's a 33.3% chance that he gets the job with Laura Kuenssberg set to leave.
Some personal news:
— Jon Sopel (@BBCJonSopel) October 19, 2021
I’m off..
After 7+ fab years in DC, 3 books, 3 presidents (one kept me busier than others) it’s time to return to the UK and BBC mothership.
Planning a long break. New book, maybe - but most of all for us to get to Aus to meet our first grandchild, Eliza
Amol Rajan 6/1 in the odds to take over from Kuenssberg
Amol Rajan is the current BBC Media Editor and also presents on BBC Radio 4's flagship Today show.
Similar to Sopel, the BBC may think that the safer option in recruiting for the Political Editor job is to keep it in-house and to give it to someone who is already under the BBC's umbrella.
Rajan already reports on Political news and business too, so his experience in the journalism industry in those sectors may point to the right experience for the role.
Odds for the next BBC Political Editor with bookies are:
| Next BBC Political Editor | Odds | Implied Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Jon Sopel | 2/1 | 33.3% |
| Lewis Goodall | 4/1 | 20% |
| Amol Rajan | 6/1 | 14.3% |
| Vicki Young | 6/1 | 14.3% |
| Emily Maitlis | 9/1 | 10% |
Reports suggest that Laura Kuenssberg will be leaving after 6 years in role
Laura Kuenssberg is one of the most popular profiles in political commentary across Britain currently, with her role as BBC's Political Editor amplified over the last 2 years.
The coronavirus pandemic had the majority of the country watching the BBC for Boris Johnson's daily press conferences so Kuenssberg's name essentially became household by the end of lockdown.
Kuenssberg is reportedly set to become a presenter on the Today show, joining Amol Rajan and becoming the 6th presenter on there.
This comes as part of a major reshuffle in the BBC's political presenting on air with movement across a range of roles set to continue over the next few months.
What is certain though is that whoever comes into the role will need to have good rapport with the current Prime Minister in what is an integral part of the job.
Here is Kuenssberg interviewing Boris Johnson as part of the pandemic programming last year:
