Rishi Sunak’s election campaign was dealt another blow on Sunday after it emerged that a fourth Conservative was being investigated over a bet on the date of the general election.
Nick Mason, the party’s data chief, has taken a leave of absence after becoming the latest Tory to be reportedly investigated by the Gambling Commission for allegedly betting on the timing of the election before the date had been announced.
The latest allegations were published by The Sunday Times, which claimed dozens of bets had been placed with potential winnings worth thousands of pounds. A spokesman for the official told the paper that he denied wrongdoing.
What are the rules for MPs and others on betting with inside knowledge?
Using confidential information to gain an unfair advantage when betting may constitute a criminal offence.
Gamblers are not allowed to use inside information to place a bet or to instruct someone else to do so on their behalf.
They are also not allowed to pass inside information on to someone else which they use for betting.
Additionally, the MPs’ code of conduct bars members from “causing significant damage to the reputation and integrity of the house”.
An MP placing a bet with inside knowledge is likely to cross this threshold.
Who else is being investigated?
Craig Williams, the PM’s parliamentary private secretary, was the first person caught up in the scandal.
He admitted placing a bet on the election prior to Mr Sunak’s announcement after he was approached by a journalist.
The 39-year-old Tory candidate for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr placed a £100 bet with 5-1 odds at Ladbrokes, meaning he would have won £500, but his name was raised as potentially a “politically exposed person”, so the wager was not registered.
That sparked the Gambling Commission writing to firms demanding the details of all bets made on a July election after 1 May, which it is now combing through. It is now believed to have widened its search beyond MPs and candidates to their friends and relatives as well.
Bookmakers are particularly cautious over “novelty” betting markets such as the general election.
According to The Guardian, which first reported the story, Mr Williams placed his bet via an online account that would have required him to provide personal details, including his date of birth and debit card. The bookmaker also knows the location of the bet.
Ladbrokes declined to comment on the incident but the Gambling Commission issued a statement confirming that it was investigating.
Mr Williams apologised after admiting that he had placed a wager on the bet, but refused to comment further while the GC carried out its probe.
“I clearly made a huge error of judgment, that’s for sure, and I apologise,” he told. “I will not be expanding on my statement because it’s an independent process.”
Laura Saunders became the second person to be named in the affair.
Ms Saunders, the Tory candidate for Bristol North West, is also under investigation by the Gambling Commission (GC) over claims she may have had inside knowledge about the prime minister’s decision to call a snap poll for 4 July.
Ms Saunders has worked for the party since 2015 and was married to Tony Lee, who works as the Conservative Party’s director of campaigns. Mr Lee has since taken a leave of absence after it came to light he was the third person being probed by the GC.
According to the BBC, which first named Ms Saunders as the candidate under investigation, she worked most recently at the party’s international division at Conservative Campaign Headquarters, which works with other centre-right parties around the world.
Close protection officer arrested
A police officer in Mr Sunak’s close protection team was arrested and suspended over alleged bets about the timing of the general election.
The police constable from the Met’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Command was arrested on 17 June on suspicion of misconduct in public office after the betting watchdog contacted the force last Friday.
The officer was taken into custody and bailed pending further enquiries, with the case being referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, according to the Met.
What have senior Tories said about the scandal?
Mr Sunak said it was “very disappointing” news that Mr Williams was being investigated by the GC.
“Well, it’s very disappointing news and you would have seen Craig Williams say that it was a huge error of judgement,” he told broadcasters at the G7 summit earlier in June.
After further revelations, Mr Sunak said he would sack anyone found guilty of wrongdoing.
“These investigations are ongoing … one of them is a criminal investigation that’s being conducted by the police,” he told the BBC Question Time Leaders Special general election debate. “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.”
Michael Gove, the outgoing cabinet minister, said it would be “reprehensible” to use inside information to bet on the general election date.
“If people have used inside information to place bets, that is deeply wrong,” he told the BBC on Thursday morning after Ms Saunders’s case came to light.
“What I can’t do is sort of get too much into the detail of the case while an investigation is going on.
“But I can talk about the broad principle and you’re absolutely right, it’s reprehensible.”
After Mr Mason was named the fourth Tory under investigation, Mr Gove likened the controversy to the Partygate scandal, saying it looked like there is “one rule for them and one rule for us”.
