Skip to content
City PM
  • Germany
  • France
  • Europe
  • Markets
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • DE
  • Germany
  • France
  • Europe
  • Markets
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • DE
Thursday 17 September 2015 3:25 pm

Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership: Who will be the first Labour MP to defect – and which party will they move to?

By: Catherine Neilan

Add as a preferred source on Google

It's still the first week of Jeremy Corbyn's life as Labour leader, but the honeymoon period is definitely over. 

It's no secret that he's been upsetting the media – not least when journalists get hospitalised while reporting on him – and the same thing seems to be happening with his own party members. 

Pundits and betting fans alike are now watching to see who will be the first to jump ship – and which party they will defect to? 

Ladbrokes has run the figures for City PM and Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk – who this week challenged Corbyn over his refusal to rule out wearing a white poppy at Remembrance Sunday in November – is favourite to leave first, with odds of 4/1. 

Next up is Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock, with odds of 5/1. Birmingham Hodge Hill's Liam Byrne has been identified as the third most-likely to leave, with odds of 8/1. 

But money is also going on some of Labour's more high profile – and identifiably New Labour – MPs. Leadership rivals Liz Kendall and Yvette Cooper are both thought likely defectors, as is former shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna, who resigned within hours of Corbyn's win. Tristram Hunt and Kate Hoey are also on the list. 

Here's how the odds stack up for the first Labour MP out the door:

Which MP will leave Labour first? odds
Simon Danczuk 4/1
John Woodcock 5/1
Liam Byrne 8/1
Ivan Lewis 10/1
Liz Kendall 16/1
Gisela Stuart 16/1
Kate Hoey 16/1
Tristram Hunt 20/1
Jamie Reed 20/1
Frank Field 20/1
Chris Leslie 33/1
Chuka Umunna 50/1
Yvette Cooper 50/1

 

And where will they go? Betters are so confident that the Liberal Democrats will snare the first MP that odds have risen to 1/2. 
 
The odds of the first defection being to Ukip or the Conservatives stand at 4/1 each, while Greens have 10/1 odds of being the first.  But either way, people are definitely expecting someone to hit the ejector button – the odds of someone leaving Labour this year are 1/3. 
 
Ladbrokes' Alex Donohue told City A.M: "We'd never previously offered this market so the fact that we now have an extensive list of betting options to cater for the demand tells its own story.
 
"As the betting begins it looks like the Lib Dems are highly likely to be the beneficiaries of any defection but we'll be watching the Conservative odds closely too."
 
There's good reason to think it might be a move to the centre, rather than the right, which we will see first.
 
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has admitted in an interview with The Times that "some" well-known Labour figures had been among those to contact him in distress about Corbyn's leadership. His election gave Liberal Democrats – who were eviscerated in the General Election, dropping from 57 seats to just eight – a "quite staggering opportunity" to occupy the centre ground. 

Share this article

  • Facebook
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp
  • Email

Similarly tagged content:

Sections

  • News

Categories

  • Business
  • Politics

Trending Articles

  • James Watt offers to buy back Brewdog

  • Citroën 2CV returns as a £13,000 electric car, and the timing is no accident

  • Brewdog owner shrugs off James Watt takeover bid

  • Motsepe backed to succeed Fifa’s Infantino by South African minister

  • UK’s biggest pub firm probed over treatment of tenants

More from City PM

  • ‘Corbyn was spot on’: The radical MP shaping Burnham’s economic agenda

    Politics
    Miatta Fahnbulleh speaking at a conference podium with a backdrop of international flags and an attentive audience
  • As it happened: How Starmer resigned and when Streeting backed Burnham

    Politics
    Keir Starmer appearing nervy during political event, wearing a suit and tie, addressing an audience with a concerned expre...
  • What should we make of Makerfield?

    Opinion
    Burnham smiling broadly at a community event, surrounded by enthusiastic supporters, conveying a sense of positivity and u...
  • Jeremy Hunt: Pension triple lock is an ‘anchor drag’ on economic growth

    Politics
    Jeremy Hunt has promised to cut more taxes as “hard work is rewarded”.
  • Senior Labour figures downplay public appetite for general election

    Politics
    Andy Burnham speaking at a press conference, wearing a suit and tie, addressing the media with a focused expression.
  • Starmer: I would make Andy Burnham a Cabinet minister

    Politics
    Keir Starmer speaking at a podium during a press conference, expressing determination and leadership in political discourse
  • Sadiq Khan lobbies Burnham to appoint Miliband as Chancellor 

    Politics
    Sadiq Khan addressing media at a press conference in formal attire, discussing recent developments in London policies
  • Burnham turns to ex-OBR and Bank of England chiefs on economic policy

    Politics
    British Chambers President Andy Haldane speaking at a business conference, addressing economic growth and industry challen...

City PM — European politics, business and analysis.

Europe

  • Germany
  • France
  • Europe
  • UK & Ireland

Topics

  • Business
  • Markets
  • AI
  • Technology
  • Opinion
  • Energy

More

  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Fintech
  • Legal
  • Sport
  • Life

Company

  • About City PM
  • Editorial Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
© 2026 City PM · Published by CityPM Media, Bahnhofstrasse 65, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
About · Editorial Policy · Corrections · Contact · Privacy · Facebook