Betting on election date: blizzard on Tories MPs
'Gamblegate' is likely to be the focus of tonight's debate between PM Sunak and Labour's Starmer, the last live televised meeting before next Thursday's vote
by Nicol Degli Innocenti
3' min read
3' min read
LONDON - With exactly one week to go until the election date, 'Gamblegate' is yet another shingle for the Conservative party, which is already in a popularity crisis and behind in the polls. This is how the scandal about betting on the date of the vote placed by several Conservative MPs has been baptised. There were 15 of them, according to the latest reports, who allegedly made thousands of pounds using confidential information.
The Gambling Commission's investigation is ongoing and there is no official confirmation of the number of suspects or the exact amounts they allegedly won. Some names have already emerged, however, and several people have already admitted to placing bets on an election in July, without confirming whether they were aware of the premier's intentions.
Rishi Sunak had surprised everyone, including his ministers, when he announced on 22 May that elections would be held on 4 July instead of October or November as planned. The graph plotting the volume of bets placed on an election in July shows a sudden surge on 21 May, the day before the announcement. After days of betting for a few pounds, suddenly the total spikes to almost six thousand pounds.
That is why the red alert went off at the Gambling Commission, which launched an investigation. The first name to come up was that of Craig Williams, MP and parliamentary secretary for Sunak, who admitted to betting £100 on a vote in July and earning £500 and apologised for his 'mistake'.
Then came confirmation that a policeman, one of the premier's bodyguards, was arrested and suspended from duty for betting on the election date. According to reliable sources, five other policemen are now under investigation for the same offence.
