Telegraph City editor: Peston is the bookie’s favourite

The Square Mile’s interest in the appointment of a new Daily
Telegraph City editor was underlined this week when spread-betting firm
Cantor Index opened a book on it.

It is the second time the firm
has given odds on a journalism job. The last time was on likely
successors for Daily Telegraph editor Martin Newland, following the
Barclay brothers’

takeover of the paper.

On that occasion bets had to be returned six months later because of Newland’s continued survival.

The latest book has been prompted by news of Neil Collins’ departure after 19 years in the job last week.

Cantor
Index head of PR David Buick said: “A lot of people in the City have
expressed a huge amount of interest in who’s going to get this job. As
I understand it, Neil Collins would prefer his deputy Kate Rankin to
get it. The rest of the people you speak to think that Sunday Telegraph
City editor Robert Peston will probably get it.”

Runners and
odds: Robert Peston (Sunday Telegraph) 3/1; Kate Rankin (Daily
Telegraph) 3/1; Chris Blackhurst (Evening Standard) 7/2; George
Trefgarne (Daily Telegraph) 5/1; Frank Kane (Observer) 11/2; Ian King
(The Sun) 11/2; Jeremy Warner (The Independent) 6/1; Paul Murphy (The
Guardian) 6/1; Jeff Randall (BBC) 8/1; Philip Coggan (Financial Times)
10/1; Charlie Pretzlick (Financial Times) 10/1; William Lewis (Sunday
Times) 10/1; Alistair Osborne (Daily Telegraph) 25/1; and Patience
Wheatcroft (The Times)n 25/1.