The Gambling Commission is investigating another Conservative Party politician over suspicious bets linked to the 2024 general election.
Welsh politician Russell George is part of the wider inquiry into questionable betting practices sitting politicians have undertaken.
Rishi Sunak on Tuesday caved in to intensifying pressure and dropped his support for two Conservative candidates at the centre of a betting scandal over the timing of the election.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “As a result of ongoing internal enquiries, we have concluded that we can no longer support Craig Williams or Laura Saunders as parliamentary candidates at the forthcoming general election.”
Labour has also swiftly moved to suspend parliamentary candidate Kevin Craig after it emerged that he, too, was
The Sunday Times reported that hundreds of bets had been made with thousands of pounds in possible prizes.
Tory data chief Nick Mason took a leave of absence at the weekend after allegedly placing bets on election timing before the announcement of the date. Mr Mason denied any misconduct to the newspaper, his representative said.
The Conservative Party declared that it was "not permitted to discuss any matters related" to any investigation conducted by the Gambling Commission.
News of more people being implicated in this suggests that the scandal’s true scope may not yet be fully revealed.
It also adds to Mr Sunak’s ongoing headache as he tries to keep his party afloat before next week’s general election (July 4). Amid dismal polling rates, politicians trying to make a quick buck by gambling on political events may not work in his favour.
So what is going on?
Which Conservatives are being investigated?
So far, five Tories have been identified as part of the investigation — but reports suggest the number of politicians involved is much higher.
Mr Williams, Mr Sunak’s former parliamentary private secretary, was the first to acknowledge that he placed bets on the election before the prime minister disclosed this after a journalist contacted him.The Tory candidate for Glyndŵr and Montgomeryshire, 39, placed a £100 bet at Ladbrokes with 5-1 odds, which would have rewarded him £500. However, the bet was not reported since the candidate's name was mentioned as possibly associated with politics.
The Conservative Party’s director of campaigns Tony Lee and a candidate for Bristol and North West, Ms Saunders, were then named as two others involved in the scandal. The married couple are under investigation and Mr Lee has taken a leave of absence.
Nick Mason was next to be named. The Sunday Times alleged he placed several bets before the snap election was called.
The fifth name to emerge was Mr George, a Welsh Parliament member. He said: “Whilst I will co-operate fully with the Gambling Commission, it would not be appropriate to comment on this independent and confidential process.
“Doing so would only jeopardise and undermine the investigation. It is the Gambling Commission, not the media, that has the responsibility, powers and resources to properly investigate these matters and determine what, if any, action should be taken.”
On Tuesday (June 25), a Cabinet minister claimed to have won more than £2,000 by betting on the timing of the election.
Scotland Secretary Alister Jack has denied breaking any watchdog rules after the BBC reported he had told the broadcaster he placed wagers on June and July polling dates.
And on Wednesday (June 26), the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said he had placed “flutters” on the outcome of races in the general election — but said it was merely “showing confidence in his friends”.
Meanwhile, the Guardian reported on Tuesday (June 25) that the Gambling Commission had uncovered information alleging that five more Metropolitan police officers placed bets on the general election date.
What are the rules for politicians on betting?
Essentially, there is nothing wrong with MPs placing bets on the date of the election. The problem arises if they did this when they already knew what that date would be.
It is illegal for gamblers to use insider knowledge (known as insider trading) to make a bet or to provide someone else with instructions to do so their behalf, under section 42 of the Gambling Act.
Furthermore, MPs are forbidden from causing “significant damage to the reputation and integrity of the house", according to their code of conduct.
Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005 says a person commits an offence if they cheat at gambling or do "anything for the purpose of enabling or assisting another person to cheat at gambling".
It adds: "It is immaterial whether a person who cheats improves his changes of winning anything, or wins anything."
Sky News reported that cheating is defined as an "actual or attempted deception or interference in connection with the process by which gambling is conducted, or a real or virtual game, race or other event or process to which gambling relates".
Someone found guilty of cheating at gambling can be imprisoned for a maximum of two years and/or fined, or jailed for six months for a lesser offence.
Betting with insider knowledge is also not allowed as an MP, with the MPs' code of conduct prohibiting members from "causing significant damage to the reputation and integrity of the House".
You can read more about the betting with inside knowledge law here.
What happens next?
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “We have been contacted by the Gambling Commission about a small number of individuals.”
The party stated that, until any of the procedure was completed, it would not be appropriate to make any more comments.
Mr Sunak declared he was "incredibly angry" and vowed to "boot out" anyone discovered to have infringed any gambling regulations.
Speaking at the special election edition of BBC's Question Time on June 20, he said: “It's a really serious matter — it's right that they're being investigated properly by the relevant law enforcement authorities.
“The integrity of that process should be respected. But what I can tell you is, if anyone is found to have broken the rules, not only should they face the full consequences of the law, I will make sure that they are booted out of the Conservative Party.”
Liberal Democrat spokesperson Munira Wilson said in response: “If he was truly angry about this scandal, these Conservative candidates would have been suspended.
“He is more interested in taking away young people’s bank accounts if they don’t do national service than investing in their education.”
Regarding Mr Craig’s alleged offence, Sky News said on Wednesday that Labour is set to return £100,000 in donations he has made to the party since Sir Keir Starmer took charge.
