The Conservative Party has finally withdrawn support for their two election candidates caught up in the betting scandal – nearly a fortnight after the allegations first came to light.
Although the Tories have started short from suspending Craig Williams and Laura Saunders from the party altogether, it’s thought they will not be allowed to campaign under the Conservative banner ahead of the UK General Election on July 4.
It comes after a fifth individual with direct ties to the Conservatives was outed as having placed bets on the date of the election, while as many as FIVE Met Police officers are being probed for the same offence – the insinuation being that they used privileged information, at the time unknown publicly, to profit from a betting market.
That’s a criminal offence as per the Gambling Act, with the range of punishments available even stretching as far as prison sentences.
Persona Non Grata
Two Conservative employees – data officer Nick Mason and campaign chief Tony Lee – have taken a leave of absence from their roles at the party’s HQ after they were alleged to have placed bets based upon inside information.
Mason, it has been alleged, placed dozens of bets on the date of the General Election – those would have enabled him to win thousands of pounds from his inside scoop.
A number of bookmakers and betting exchanges have reported a surge of bets being placed on May 21 on a July General Election – Rishi Sunak did not publicly reveal the date until the next day.
Saunders, a prospective MP for Bristol North West married to Lee, and Craig Williams – a candidate in the new Montgomeryshire & Glyndwr constituency, have both been told that they no longer carry the support of Sunak or the Conservative Party.
They could, it’s believed, still win their local seat if accruing enough votes – however, they may be forced to sit as an independent MP in the Houses of Parliament.
“As a result of ongoing internal enquiries, we have concluded that we can no longer support Craig Williams or Laura Saunders as Parliamentary Candidates at the forthcoming General Election,” a spokesperson for the Tory Party revealed.
“We have checked with the Gambling Commission that this decision does not compromise the investigation that they are conducting, which is rightly independent and ongoing.”
It was insinuated on BBC news on Monday evening – and has now been backed up by Sky News – that more individuals are now being investigated for their illegal bets; including those that allegedly instructed third parties to place such wagers on their behalf.
Position of Power
Police in London are told of the date of an upcoming General Election in advance – ostensibly to enable them to begin planning their security operation, as opposed to giving them the heads up to get their bets on.
But five officers from the Met allegedly found the lure of some easy cash too hard to resist – they have now been hauled in for questioning as part of their ongoing process.
“We have been passed information from the Gambling Commission alleging that five further officers have placed bets related to the timing of the election. The officers have not been arrested, but the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed,” a Met Police spokesperson confirmed.
That quintet will join another unnamed member of the police force, said to be the Prime Minister’s close protection officer, in facing questions over the timing of their alleged bets.
The Met has also come under scrutiny after it was alleged by a number of media outlets that they had leaked the names, given to them by the Gambling Commission, of the accused Conservative candidates and employees to the press.
The Daily Telegraph has quoted an unnamed source as saying:
“We know that the Met was made aware of the election date in advance of it being called by Rishi. We are also pretty sure these leaks are not coming from the Gambling Commission.
“The commission is telling the Met and then almost instantly these names are finding their way to journalists. The suspicion very much is it’s the Met [that’s leaking].”
However, a spokesperson from the Met has denied that any of their officers or employees has played any part in the names of the accused being leaked ahead of their ‘official’ naming by the press.
“The allegations that the Met has leaked information are simply untrue,” they commented.
“We continue to liaise with the Gambling Commission and are assessing information they have provided.”