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Britain’s Conservatives are coming under pressure. The reason: insider bets on the date of the British election. The investigations are expanding.
Edinburgh/London – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party is investigating its own ranks in the scandal surrounding betting on the date of the British parliamentary elections. The party will act immediately if it discovers any misconduct by members or employees and will pass on any new findings to the relevant supervisory authority, Sunak announced on Monday at a campaign event in Edinburgh. The Gambling Commission is not discussing the suspects, Sunak said. However, he is “not aware of any other candidate” who is being investigated.
It had previously been revealed that a Conservative MP and close associate of Sunak had bet 100 pounds (118 euros) that the British election would take place in July – just days before the Prime Minister surprisingly set July 4 as the date. The vote was not expected to take place until autumn.
Betting on the date of the UK election: More and more cases are coming to light
The scandal surrounding the Tories over betting on the date of the British election is getting bigger and bigger. According to a report by Times on Sunday According to reports, another member of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s election campaign team has been targeted by the Gambling Commission’s investigation. The Tories’ head of data strategy, Nick Mason, has taken a leave of absence, the party confirmed, according to the report. However, according to a spokesman, he denied wrongdoing.
This is already the fourth case of this kind. Campaign manager Tony Lee had previously taken a break after his wife’s bets on the election date allegedly became the subject of investigations. A parliamentary secretary of state and a bodyguard from Sunak’s circle are also said to have bet on the election date. According to several British media outlets, there are said to be several other investigations into bets on the election date.
Allegations in Britain: One rule for the Tories, another for the rest
Betting fraud through insider knowledge is the Sunday Times According to the British government, this is a criminal offence punishable by up to two years in prison. For the Conservative Party, which is already lagging far behind the Labour opposition in the polls, the cases are potentially very damaging, especially politically. Cabinet member and party veteran Michael Gove admitted in an interview with the newspaper that this impression is now emerging again. “This is the most potentially damaging thing that can happen in politics,” he said.
They are reminiscent of the Partygate scandal involving illegal lockdown parties at 10 Downing Street during the Corona pandemic. Numerous government members and their staff were fined for violating the Corona rules – including then Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, who was then Chancellor of the Exchequer. (dpa/nak)
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