Scotland Yard Investigates UK Election Betting Scandal

Scotland Yard is set to take a prominent role in investigating criminal allegations in the Westminster betting scandal, a controversy that is dominating the current British election campaign.

The Metropolitan Police will be expanding their investigation into the allegations of criminal activity surrounding bets on the election date, involving senior Conservative Party members. This move follows urgent discussions between the Gambling Commission, which has been looking into suspicious bets, and Scotland Yard.

One of the key figures in this scandal is Sir Philip Davies, the Conservative candidate for Shipley in West Yorkshire. He is accused of placing an £8,000 ($A15,000) bet on himself to lose his seat on July 4. Davies, who is married to Esther McVey, the so-called “minister for common sense,” has defended his actions, stating that it is “nobody’s business” if he placed the wager, and denying any illegal activity.

Davies explained to The Sun, “I hope to win. I’m busting a gut to win. I expect to lose. In the 2005 election, I busted a gut to win. I expected to lose. I had a bet on myself to lose in the 2005 election, and my bet went down the pan.”

The Gambling Commission watchdog is currently investigating as many as 15 Conservative candidates and officials over wagers placed on the date of the general election. This includes two Tory candidates who were suspended on Tuesday for placing bets on a July election date, leading to criticism of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for his delayed response to the scandal.

In a heated BBC debate, Sunak expressed his anger and frustration over the scandal. The Conservative Party has since withdrawn support for Sunak’s parliamentary aide, Craig Williams, and Laura Saunders, a candidate for Bristol North West. Additionally, six police officers are under investigation for placing bets, including one from Sunak’s close protection team who has been arrested.

The Gambling Commission has requested data on hundreds of bets placed in the lead-up to the July 4 election date. Meanwhile, a Labour candidate, Kevin Craig, was suspended from his party for betting against himself to win. The Conservative chief whip in Wales, Russell George, has also been publicly named in connection with the scandal.

A Scotland Yard spokesperson stated, “The Gambling Commission will continue to lead the investigation into cases where the alleged offending is limited to breaches of the Gambling Act only. Met detectives will lead on investigating a small number of cases to assess whether the alleged offending goes beyond Gambling Act offences to include others, such as misconduct in public office.”

This ongoing investigation underscores the serious nature of the allegations and their potential impact on the integrity of the election process. For more updates on this developing story, stay tuned to our blog.