Senior Tory chief takes leave of absence amid new General Election betting claims
James Cleverly said he had "no reason to believe" ministers had placed bets on the timing of the General Election, as Lewis Warner reports
The Conservative Party’s chief data officer has taken a leave of absence over claims he placed bets on the timing of the General Election.
It's been reported that Nick Mason has taken a leave of absence after becoming the latest Tory to be investigated by the Gambling Commission for allegedly betting on the timing of the election before the date had been announced.
The latest allegations were published by The Sunday Times, which claimed dozens of bets had been placed with potential winnings worth thousands of pounds.
The revelations are a fresh blow to Rishi Sunak’s hopes of getting the Tory election campaign on track after three other Conservative figures were caught up in the scandal.
Tony Lee, the party’s director of campaigns, and his wife Laura Saunders, are under investigation by the Commission.
Ms Saunders, a Conservative candidate in the Bristol North West constituency, has said she will co-operate fully with the investigation.
Craig Williams, who was the Prime Minister’s parliamentary private secretary and is the Conservative candidate for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, has admitted to putting “a flutter” on the date of the election and is also facing a probe.
Home Secretary James Cleverly has said he would not defend any Tories found to have placed bets on the election date.
The Home Secretary told Sky News: “I’m not in any way going to defend people who placed bets on that.
“There is an investigation by the Gambling Commission and we have been told very, very clearly that we are not to discuss the investigations.”
He said that “my understanding is that it is a small number of individuals” involved.
Asked if any Cabinet ministers were involved, he said: “I’ve got no reason to believe any of them were, at all.”
Asked why Rishi Sunak was not sacking anyone who admitted placing a bet, Mr Cleverly said it was a matter for the Gambling Commission to investigate.
Speak on Sunday morning, Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson has said there is “genuine disgust” among voters over the General Election betting allegations.
Asked if she had ever put a bet on a political event, Ms Phillipson told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “No, I don’t think, it’s only a few occasions in my life where I’ve ever gambled full stop, it’s not really my thing.
“I don’t think that’s really the point. The issue here is that whether those people who had inside knowledge of what was going on used that information in placing a bet.
“People across the country will place bets, but I think there is genuine disgust amongst so many voters that what we’re seeing here is pretty shocking behaviour.
“Rishi Sunak promised us that his Government would be different, he hasn’t acted against candidates concerned, he should suspend them, and – as Michael Gove has said – this just reminds people of the worst excesses of the Conservatives over the last 14 years.”
The Liberal Democrats meanwhile called on Mr Sunak to personally intervene, with a Cabinet Office inquiry into the reports.
A Conservative spokesman 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.”
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The revelations come as the opinion polls continue to suggest poor public support for the Conservative party.
In the latest Savanta poll published for the Sunday Telegraph, Labour are on 42% of the vote, and the Conservatives are on 19%, their lowest ever vote share in a test of public opinion by the company.
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK meanwhile are on 16% of the vote, in a poll of 2,103 UK adults conducted between June 19 and 21.
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