Young stakes his claim

I’m not in the mood for making predictions, but it’s worth noting some of the late momentum that’s gathering behind Sir George Young, probably the Tories’ first choice for the Speakership.  The PoliticsHome Index of Westminster insiders has paid him the rather backhanded compliment of being the “least unbearable candidate”; the betting markets have swung markledly in his favour; and – to top it all off – he’s just delivered the most impressive of the candidates’ addresses so far [watch them live here].  As Nick Robinson notes, more Labour MPs seemed to be muttering in appraval at the end of his speech than at the beginning.  Watch this space.

UPDATE: The speeches are over. I reckon Young came out on top overall, although – in and of itself – Bercow’s address was fairly effective too.