Fourth Tory official subject to investigation in election date betting scandal
A senior Conservative official has become the fourth party figure subject to an investigation by the gambling watchdog, amid reports he placed dozens of bets on the timing of the election before it was announced.
Nick Mason, the Tories’ chief data officer, has been informed by the Gambling Commission he is part of its inquiry into bets on the election date, the Sunday Times reported. After being approached, the party told the newspaper Mason had taken a leave of absence.
Mason is the latest confirmed Tory figure to be facing an investigation in a growing gambling scandal that has engulfed the Conservative party during the election campaign.
It has led to at least two party officials taking an unscheduled leave of absence from its headquarters as they are investigated. Michael Gove, the outgoing levelling up secretary, likened it to the Partygate scandal that dogged Boris Johnson’s premiership.
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.”
The Guardian uncovered the scandal by revealing last week that bets placed by Craig Williams, who is Rishi Sunak’s closest parliamentary aide, were the subject of an investigation by the Gambling Commission for betting that the election would be in July, three days before it was called.
The watchdog is also examining bets allegedly placed by Tony Lee, the Conservative party’s campaigns director, who is now on leave of absence, and his wife, Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate in Bristol North West.
One of the prime minister’s close protection police officers has also been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations they also placed bets.
“I’m not in any way going to defend people who placed bets on that,” James Cleverly, the home secretary, said on Sunday. He said the behaviour was “inappropriate” but claimed it only involved a “small number of individuals” and that it was a matter for the Gambling Commission.
Cleverly told Sky News’s Trevor Phillips on Sunday that he had “no reason to believe” that any cabinet ministers had placed bets.
Mason is alleged to have placed several dozen bets over an unspecified period before Sunak announced he planned to hold the election on 4 July, the Sunday Times reported. Each of his bets was worth less than £100, but together the winnings would have amounted to thousands of pounds, according to the paper.
Using confidential information to gain an unfair advantage when betting may constitute a criminal offence.
after newsletter promotion
Sunak said he was “incredibly angry” about the betting allegations and that “if anyone has broken the rules, they should face the full force of the law”.
But the prime minister has faced criticism for not taking tougher action against those placed under investigation. Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, has said anyone accused of similar conduct in his ranks would “be gone and their feet would not have touched the floor”.
Gove told the Sunday Times in an interview: “It looks like one rule for them and one rule for us … That’s the most potentially damaging thing. The perception that we operate outside the rules that we set for others. That was damaging at the time of Partygate and is damaging here.”
The Gambling Commission said in a statement to the Sunday Times: “The commission is investigating the possibility of offences concerning the date of the election. This is an ongoing investigation, and the commission cannot provide any further details at this time. We are not confirming or denying the identity of any individuals involved in this investigation.”