YouGov: Three quarters of Brits back a ban on MPs betting on politics
Study claims negativity towards elected officials ramped up following Gamblegate scandal that hovered over this year’s general election
A majority of the British pubic would support a ban on politicians placing bets in the wake of Gamblegate, according to a new survey from YouGov.
The poll, conducted in August and on behalf of OLBG, claimed that 76% of those questioned would support a ban on politicians or those involved in politics placing bets on political events.
More than half (56%) said they would strongly support such a measure while a further 20% noted they would tend to support it.
News of the public’s attitude came after Gamblegate engulfed Westminster in the run-up to the general election.
Several politicians, both Labour and Conservative, were implicated in the scandal, as well as police officers that had been assigned close protection briefs for senior government officials, including then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The YouGov survey also revealed 60% of respondents would like to see MPs disclose all of their gambling activity, with just 19% saying they shouldn’t be required to do so.
In addition, 25% of respondents said that MPs that were found to have used insider information to place a political bet should be permanently banned from holding office.
That figure decreased to 21% for civil servants, with the second most popular option among the study’s demographic being a court fine.
YouGov also reported there was a general feeling of negativity towards politicians and those working in politics should they be found to use insider knowledge to gamble.
More than two-thirds (69%) of respondents would feel more negatively towards a politician should they be implicated in such a scenario.
The August study was conducted online and included 2,273 adults across the UK, with supporters of the Tories, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Reform UK all canvassed.
Richard Moffat, OLBG CEO, said: “It’s clear from the data that, though a good portion of the public aren’t sure exactly where they fall on either the election betting scandal, or politicians and betting in general, most of them were pretty clear that when the two do mix, it should occur only with strict rules in place.
“While politicians are also private citizens and should enjoy a reasonable amount of privacy, as members of public office they are meant to serve the best interests of the public.
“As a result, they are held to a high standard, and if those involved have used insider information for financial gain, even at a token amount, it may have far-reaching consequences.”