Fourth senior Conservative leader under investigation over election gambling allegations

A fourth senior Conservative Party official is under investigation by the Gambling Commission over alleged bets made on general election day.

The Sunday Times reported that the party’s chief data officer, Nick Mason, had placed dozens of bets which the paper said could have resulted in winnings worth thousands of pounds.

A spokesman for Mason told the BBC it would not be appropriate to comment during an investigation, but Mason denied any wrongdoing.

Mason took a leave of absence from his Conservative party post with 11 days to go until the July 4 election.

The Conservatives said they were “not permitted to discuss” any issues 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.

Laura Saunders and Craig Williams have both confirmed they are under investigation by the Gambling Commission.

Sanders, who is the party’s candidate for Bristol North West, 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 Williams, one of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s closest aides, who reportedly bet £100 three days before the date of the July polls 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.

Home Secretary James Cleverley spoke about the allegations on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, saying the Gambling Commission was investigating and that it was “right and appropriate to let them do their job”.

Asked whether any ministers had placed bets on the timing of the election, Mr Cleverley said: “Not to my knowledge.”

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 confirmed to the BBC that they were “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 company said.

Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats called on Mr Sunak to suspend those under investigation.

Labour’s shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, described the allegations as “quite shocking” and said they would cause “genuine disgust” among voters.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper called the report a “full-scale scandal that goes to the heart of the Conservative party” and said the Prime Minister should launch a Cabinet Office investigation.

“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.

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.

The full list of nominees can be found below. Bristol North West and Montgomeryshire and Glyndőr You can search for your constituency on the BBC News website.