Labour demands Gambling Commission transparency over Tory betting scandal

Leading labour figure Pat McFadden has written to the Gambling Commission, calling on the regulator to release details of the Conservative Party betting scandal investigation to the public.

McFadden’s letter coincides with the Tory’s chief data officer, Nick Mason, becoming the fourth party member to be investigated by the Gambling Commission over suspicious bets around the date of the general election.  

Mason, who is also a Conservative councillor in Herefordshire, has taken a leave of absence from his role while the investigation continues just 11 days before the election on 4 July.

As reported by The Sunday Times, he allegedly placed multiple bets which could have led to him winning thousands of pounds. 

In his letter to Gambling Commission CEO Andrew Rhodes, McFadden urged that the regulator reveal all the names being investigated to the public before the election takes place.  

McFadden said he was “deeply concerned” by the ongoing speculation which he said was now “casting a shadow over the election”.

He said: “With postal ballots already being sent out, many millions of people will be casting their vote this week. They deserve to have all relevant facts about this scandal at their disposal when doing so.  

“I believe it is in the public interest that the Gambling Commission makes public the names of other figures you are investigating relating to this matter.

“There will be particular interest in whether any government ministers bet on the date of the election before it was called.” 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s private secretary Craig Williams was the first Tory MP to become embroiled in the scandal, after his £100 bet on there being a July general election was flagged to and investigated by the GC earlier this month.  

Williams placed the bet in his Montgomeryshire constituency on 19 May , just three days before Sunak announced the election date on 22 May .  

Laura Saunders, Conservative representative for Bristol North West followed soon after as well as her husband and Conservative Party director of campaigns Tony Lee.  

Lee has taken a leave of absence from his role, while an unnamed Metropolitan Police officer who served in the Prime Minister’s close security detail has been arrested and released on bail over allegations he also placed bets.

Both Williams and Saunders have yet to be rebuked by the Tories and will continue to stand as candidates in their respective constituencies.

Following the spate of investigations, Sunak claimed that any ministers found guilty of breaching gambling rules should “face the full force of the law”.  

McFadden also expressed his frustration at the Tories refusing to formerly comment on the investigations, and has asked the GC to confirm whether this is necessary.  

He added: “I have been concerned to see that the Conservative Party claim that they cannot make any comment on the matter, owing to your investigation. This is being used as justification for refusing to confirm or deny the identities of those implicated.  

“Can you confirm whether there is anything stopping cabinet ministers from saying whether or not they placed bets on the date of the election before it was called?” 

Regarding Mason’s allegations, a Conservative Party spokesperson said: “As instructed by the Gambling Commission, we are not permitted to discuss any matters related to any investigation with the subject or any other persons.” 

And in yet another turn of events, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, who will not be standing in his Bournemouth East seat next month, told the media this morning he would bet on seats if election gambling was allowed.

He told Times Radio: “If I was allowed to bet on the election, I would do what I have done in the past which is have bets on individual seats that are what you would be calling ‘too close to call’ because, you know, I quite fancied that, like my £1 bet at the beginning of a week on the multiplier for five wins on the football at the weekend.”

Speaking to ITV, Heaton-Harris did say those involved in the investigation remained “innocent until proven guilty”.

Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also made his feelings on the situation clear, accusing the Prime Minister of hiding behind the Gambling Commission while speaking to GB News.

Streeting claimed: “Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party are trying to hide who’s involved, duck scrutiny and accountability during a general election campaign, and hide behind the Gambling Commission rather than come up and take some responsibility.

“Rishi Sunak is the only person in this country who knew for certain when the election date would be and who he chose to share that information with. We already know that one of his closest parliamentary aides placed a bet and he has accepted that and he’s apologised for that.

“But from the Prime Minister, we’ve seen total weakness and a lack of leadership and to now try and suggest that somehow we’re doing something wrong by asking for transparency in an election campaign, I think people should start to question what is it that Conservatives have to hide and why are they so desperate to hide it?”