Tory Leaders Call for Ban on Political Gambling for MPs

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Facts

  • Senior Conservative Party members have called for a ban on election gambling by politicians, as electoral candidates and officials have found themselves under investigation by the UK's Gambling Commission.1
  • Tory candidate Laura Saunders and her husband, Tony Lee – the party's director of campaigning – first came under investigation earlier this month for allegedly placing illegal bets on the timing of July 4’s election just days before Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's public announcement.2
  • According to BBC Newsnight, up to 15 Conservative candidates and officials are now being investigated by the commission, while a Labour Party candidate has also been suspended by his party for election gambling alongside six Metropolitan Police officers.3
  • Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith and former defense minister Tobias Ellwood called for parties to impose restrictions on candidates gambling on political outcomes.4
  • Sunak on Monday stated that his party launched its own investigation into the party's gambling allegations. The Prime Minister also withdrew electoral support for Laura Saunders and another Tory candidate under investigation, Craig Williams — Sunak's former parliamentary private secretary.5
  • Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005 makes cheating at gambling, irrespective of winnings, an offense liable for up to two years in prison.6

Sources: 1BBC News, 2Verity, 3Sky News, 4Guardian, 5Independent and 6Legislation.

Narratives

  • Labour narrative, as provided by New Statesman. Rishi Sunak and the Tories continue to shoot themselves in the foot as things turn from bad to worse for the lame-duck party. If the gambling scandal wasn't bad enough, Sunak waited nearly two weeks to discipline the MPs involved. It’s obvious that these politicians had inside information on when Sunak would call the election, and they disregarded any form of ethics to make a quick buck. This saga only reaffirms Tory corruption.
  • Tory narrative, as provided by Spectator (UK). Labour loves throwing stones from glass houses, as one of its candidates faces investigation for betting on his own candidacy. This shows that no one is blameless in politics, and there are good and bad apples from all parties and ideologies. Tying this scandal to just one party is inaccurate and unfair.