The field is starting to open in the race for the chancellorship of the University of Oxford, after our report earlier this week on the runners and riders. We tipped former cabinet minister Rory Stewart as a strong contender for the job and the bookies seem to agree. William Hill has released its first round-up of odds on the chancellorship and Stewart comes top with a 5/6 chance of replacing outgoing chancellor Chris Patten.
“This is a very interesting idea and an amazing role, but I would have to think hard about whether I am the right candidate,” Stewart has said. That’s not a no. We reckon he could wipe the floor with the competition. Boris Johnson has ruled himself out. But there’s still chance of a tilt at the role from former prime minister Theresa May, who got a 2:2 in geography from St Hugh’s College. William Hill sets her odds at 7/4. She and Stewart are friends and former colleagues. Would they be comfortable going head to head?
