UK, Tory betting scandal breaks out over election date

For the Conservative party, the march towards the 4 July early elections is increasingly in danger of turning into a path towards a Caporetto of historic dimensions. In the Tory house, the scandal of the betting placed by some members of parliament with confidential information on the very date of the elections, which is decided autonomously by the prime minister, has broken out with disruptive effect.

According to reports by the BBC, some Conservative MPs close to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have in fact placed bets on the date of the election by taking advantage of confidential news: this is the case of Craig Williams, parliamentary candidate and parliamentary assistant to the Prime Minister, who bet £100 on the date of the return to the polls a few days before the official announcement by Sunak. Once news of the Gambling Commission's investigation into him became public knowledge, Williams admitted that he had made a 'huge error of judgement' and had been 'tipped off' about the election date.

But Williams is not the only one. Also under the lens of the committee's investigators is Tory candidate Laura Sanders, who recently worked in the Conservative party headquarters and is the wife of Tony Lee, the Conservative party's campaign director. And according to the latest revelations from the BBC, Lee himself is under investigation, news that explains why the latter decided to take a leave of absence just two weeks before the election. 'We have been contacted by the Gambling Commission regarding a small number of individuals,' said a Conservative party spokesperson. Given that the Gambling Commission is an independent body, it would not be fair to comment further until the process is concluded."

But it is not only politicians who have succumbed to the lure of an easy bet. Last night, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that an officer from Sunak's protection squad was suspended and subsequently arrested as part of an investigation into alleged betting related to the timing of the general election. Making the situation almost comical is the timing related to the latest election message posted on X by the Conservatives urging voters not to bet on Labour because you never win. An own goal that forced campaign managers to withdraw the post immediately.

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor)