- author, Helen Cat
- role, Political reporter
A fourth Conservative MP is reportedly under investigation by the Gambling Commission over alleged bets made on general election day.
The Sunday Times reported that senior Conservative Party members had placed dozens of bets, which the paper said could have resulted in winnings of thousands of pounds.
A spokesman for the official told the paper that the official denies any wrongdoing, but said the Conservative Party was “not permitted to discuss any matters” relating to the Gambling Commission’s investigation.
The BBC previously reported that two Conservative election candidates and a senior party official were also under investigation.
The Liberal Democrats have accused the Conservative party of being “stuck” in wrongdoing, while Conservative minister Michael Gove likened the situation to Partygate.
Laura Saunders and Craig Williams have both confirmed they are under investigation by the Gambling Commission.
The party’s candidate for Bristol North West, Laura Sanders, has been a Conservative member since 2015.
Sanders’ partner is the Conservative campaign manager, Tony Lee, who is also under investigation for gambling allegations and is on administrative leave.
Allegations of election day gambling first emerged against one of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s closest aides, Craig Williams, who reportedly bet £100 on polling day in July, three days before the date was announced.
Mr Williams, who was the Conservative MP for Montgomery until the election was called and is standing again in his new constituency of Glyndwr/Montgomeryshire, has previously apologised and said he had made a “significant error of judgement”.
When asked by the BBC, he refused to say whether he had made any bets based on inside information.
Responding to the latest allegations, a Conservative spokesman said: “As per instructions from the Gambling Commission we are not permitted to discuss any matters relating to the investigation with the subject or any other person.”
Mr Sunak said last week he was “incredibly angry” to learn of the allegations and promised to “ban” anyone found to have breached gambling laws from the Conservative party.
Mr Sunak surprised many in Westminster on May 22 when he announced the general election would be held on July 4.
If someone uses confidential information when placing a bet to gain an unfair advantage, it may be a criminal offence under Section 42 of the Gambling Act.
A Gambling Commission spokesman previously confirmed to the BBC that the agency was “investigating potential illegal activity relating to election dates”.
The committee also said that because the investigation is ongoing, it could not provide further details about the nature of the investigation or who is being investigated.
“We are neither confirming nor denying the identities of any individuals involved in this investigation,” the statement said.
Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats had called for Sanders and Williams to be suspended as Conservative candidates.
On Saturday night, the Liberal Democrats again called on Chancellor Sunak to suspend everyone under investigation.
The party’s deputy leader, Daisy Cooper, said the Prime Minister must launch a Cabinet Office investigation into the reports, describing them as a “full-scale scandal at the heart of the Conservative party”.
“The public is tired of these injustices. With each passing day, with each passing hour, this Conservative government is slipping further into injustice,” she said.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove condemned the latest reports and likened the row to Partygate during the coronavirus crisis.
“There seems to be one rule for them and one rule for us,” the Conservative minister, who is not standing for re-election, told The Sunday Times.
Labour is yet to respond to these latest allegations but its leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has previously said that anyone accused of similar behaviour within the party would be “expelled and prevented from touching the ground”.
It also emerged that a police officer working as part of the prime minister’s security team had been arrested on suspicion of betting on the timing of the election.
The officer was initially suspended by the Metropolitan police and then arrested on suspicion of official misconduct.
The individual was released on bail pending further inquiries.
The Metropolitan police was contacted last Friday by the Gambling Commission, which told police it was investigating allegations of gambling by a constable from the Metropolitan police’s Royal and Professional Protection Command.
