The "election betting" scandal in British politics and police circles is snowballing
British police said on the 25th that another five police officers were suspected of betting on the date of the House of Commons election and are being investigated by the Anti-Gambling Committee. In addition, politicians in many parts of the UK were exposed for betting on elections. British public opinion criticized that this scandal exposed that politicians and police officers used inside information for personal gain.
London's Metropolitan Police said on the 25th that the Anti-Gambling Commission is investigating five police officers for betting on election dates. These police officers are responsible for protecting the royal family, politicians and diplomats. The five have not been arrested yet. On the 19th, a special duty police officer responsible for protecting the safety of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was arrested on suspicion of betting.
The Conservative Party announced on the 25th that it would withdraw its support for Sunak's assistant Craig Williams and Conservative candidate Laura Saunders to run for parliament. However, since the nomination stage for parliamentary candidates has ended, the names of these two Conservatives will still appear on the ballot.
Regarding the "betting on the election" scandal, Sunak said on the 20th that he was "very angry". But he has not taken any corresponding action. There are growing calls within and outside the Conservative Party for punishment of those involved in the scandal. Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour Party, criticized Sunak for doing too little and should have disqualified Williams and Sanders from running for office as soon as they were investigated.
In addition to the above two people, the Conservatives investigated by the Anti-Gambling Committee include Sanders' husband Tony Lee, the party's campaign director, and Nick Mason, the Conservative Party's data director. Both of them have "taken leave" and left their jobs.
Sunak suddenly announced on May 22 that the House of Commons election would be held on July 4. The date was kept strictly confidential before the announcement, and it was widely expected that the election would be held in the fall. However, British media have recently revealed that people close to Sunak placed bets on the election date. Among them, Williams placed a £100 bet that the election would be held in July three days before Sunak announced the election date.
Betting is common in the UK, ranging from sporting events such as horse racing and football to political elections. However, it is illegal to bet on inside information.
Not only Conservatives, but also Labour MP candidate Kevin Craig was investigated by the Anti-Gambling Committee. The Labour Party said on the 25th that it immediately withdrew its support for Craig after learning the news. However, Craig did not bet on the election date, but on that he would not be elected. In the 2019 parliamentary election, the Conservatives won the constituency where Craig was running by a large margin.
Craig admitted his mistake and apologized on social media. According to him, he did not have inside information and just planned to donate the money to charity if he won the bet.
In addition, according to the BBC, British Cabinet Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack once revealed to a BBC reporter that he had previously bet on the election date and won more than 2,000 pounds.
Jack issued a statement on the 25th saying that he had not placed any bets on the date of the upcoming election.
Russell George, a Conservative member of the Welsh Parliament, said on the 25th that he was being investigated by the Anti-Gambling Committee and had resigned from his senior position in the party.
The Conservative Party has been exposed to various scandals in the past few years, including "party gate", workplace bullying, "sexual harassment", etc., and its support rate is currently far behind that of the Labour Party. Polls generally predict that the Conservative Party will suffer a crushing defeat in the House of Commons election held on July 4, ending its 14-year ruling position.
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