Less than a week before the British general election, set for July 4, an election betting scandal is shaking up the Sunak camp. What is this scandal about? Who is involved? What are the repercussions on the election campaign? A look back at an investigation targeting up to 15 Conservative candidates and officials.
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Yet another blow to the Conservatives’ election campaign has finished burying the party in the polls. After his waterlogged speech and his premature departure from the D-Day commemorations, Rishi Sunak is once again under fire from critics.
For good reason, several members of his entourage are accused of having illegally taken advantage of their proximity to the British Prime Minister to bet on the calendar of the British general elections before they were announced. In total, up to 15 Conservative candidates and officials as well as seven Metropolitan Police officers are believed to be the target of an investigation by Britain’s gambling watchdog.
What is this scandal about?
It’s a article from Guardian which sets fire to the powder. The British daily indicates that Craig Williams, Conservative MP since 2019 and parliamentary secretary to Rishi Sunak, is under investigation for having bet 100 pounds, or 118 euros, on elections in July three days before the Prime Minister born surprises the country by announcing the date. A ” huge error of judgment ” for which he apologized – without however confirming whether he had privileged information at the time of betting – and which earned him an investigation by the Gaming Commission. Because if bets of all kinds are authorized in United Kingdomusing confidential information to gain personal advantage during a bet constitutes a breach of the law.
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An announcement which quickly provoked a reaction from the Labor Party, which described these allegations as “ quite extraordinary » and called on voters not to give an additional mandate to the conservatives. Especially since Craig Williams is apparently not the only one to have tried this risky bet: after the revelations of Guardianseveral members of Rishi Sunak’s close circle were included in the investigation into fraudulent betting.
Up to 15 Conservative candidates and officials are believed to be suspected, including Tony Lee, the Conservative Party’s campaign manager and his wife, Laura Saunders, the Conservative candidate in Bristol North West, as well as Nick Mason, the party’s data manager. This Thursday, the Metropolitan Police declared that at least seven police officers are now also the subject of this investigation, including one responsible for the close protection of the Prime Minister.
How does Rishi Sunak react?
After two weeks without sanctions, Rishi Sunak finally announced on Tuesday June 25 that he was withdrawing his support from two of his suspected legislative candidates, in a final attempt to draw a line under this scandal which is poisoning his electoral campaign. “ As a result of the ongoing internal investigation, we have concluded that we can no longer support Craig Williams and Laura Saunders as candidates “, indicated a spokesperson for his party.
On the other hand, the Prime Minister refused to say whether he had informed Craig Williams in advance of his decision to hold the general election in July, in order to avoid that “ independent investigations are compromised “, he argues. The head of government also said that the party would conduct its own internal investigation, but that it was not yet ” aware » of any conservative candidate or party official being investigated beyond those already known.
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What consequences for the electoral campaign?
His attempts, however, do not seem to be enough to restore the image of the Conservatives after fourteen years spent in Downing Street, marred by a record that is difficult to defend, the ousting of Boris Johnson and the lightning mandate of Liz Truss. Rishi Sunak’s laxity is pointed out even in his own camp: while James Cracknell, Conservative candidate in Colchester, castigates a ” unforgivable breach of trust », Michael Gove, British Minister for Housing, compares this affair to that of “ Partygate ”, scandal in which aides to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson were seen carrying suitcases of wine into Downing Street at the height of the lockdown.
Criticisms also included by the Labor Party, which is calling for more transparency on the number of people concerned. Pat McFadden, national coordinator of the Labor campaign, notably urged the Gambling Commission to make “ public the names of other personalities on whom [ils enquêtent] “.
Furthermore, during the last one-on-one debate before the election, Labor leader Keir Starmer did not skimp on attacks on his opponent. For him, betting on the future of the country demonstrates the “ bad instinct » from the conservatives, an attitude similar to the casualness displayed towards the Covid rules. “I think over the last 14 years politics has become too focused on self-entitlement and MPs thinking about what they could get for themselves ” he said. A reproach that has been doubly effective since the Labour Party was also forced to suspend one of its candidates who had bet that he would not win the seat he was seeking. My candidates know that I am very demanding. They saw the consequences of my actions “, he said happily, contrasting his reaction with that of the Prime Minister.
While the Conservative Party is already about 20 points behind the Labor Party in the voting intention polls, the affair also seems to arouse revulsion among voters: according to a Yougov poll published Tuesday June 25, almost two-thirds of respondents said Rishi Sunak managed “ rather bad ” Or ” very bad » the fraudulent betting scandal.