Potential runners put through their paces

Alan Johnson, Home secretary
Age: 59 Majority: 9,431
Odds: 7-4

Still the favourite, but an increasingly uneasy one since his springtime surge. If Gordon Brown were to resign pre-election, he would be the obvious choice to take over, smile pleasantly, sound like a human being and minimise the disaster. But he remains an outwardly diffident candidate and, as the possibility of anyone else knifing the PM fades, so do his chances. After the election, he would be a much less tempting prospect. “Less to him than meets the eye,” said one Home Office watcher.