Bookies should start taking bets on Tories losing Parliamentary majority due to legal action

Prosecutions of Conservative MPs for breaking election spending rules came a step closer today after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) issued this statement:

Following a constructive meeting with the police and Electoral Commission, it has been agreed that each relevant police force will consider what action to take.

This may include making an application to the court under s.176 of the Representations of the People Act 1983 to extend the time allowed to bring a prosecution.

As I wrote in How the Tories could lose their Parliamentary majority, courtesy of the police and the voters:

There are around 24 Conservative MPs in the firing line over these allegations (and then there’s the separate issue over Gavin Barwell).

If all this ends up in convictions, it could result in MPs being disqualified and a round of by-elections being held to elect new MPs for those constituencies. It would only take a small number of voters in a small number of by-elections to change their views from 2015 and see the Conservatives lose their majority in Parliament.

Given the bookies’ love of taking a flutter on whether Elvis Presley will be the next winning British Eurovision song contest entry, I wonder how long it will be before we can start placing bets on whether the Tories will lose their overall majority in Parliament before the scheduled 2020 general election?

UPDATE: Several of the constituencies under investigation over the Conservative election expenses have now been named.