The Conservative Party is at the centre of a row which began when Montgomeryshire & Glyndwr’s Tory candidate Craig Williams admitted putting ‘a flutter’ on the date of the General Election.
He subsequently admitted “a huge error of judgement” over the issue, having reportedly placed a £100 bet three days before the date was confirmed.
Since then it has emerged that two Conservative officials are also being investigated by the Gambling Commission, as well as another of the party’s MP candidates.
Pat McFadden, Labour’s campaign co-ordinator and the party’s Wolverhampton South East candidate, has written to the gambling commission calling for clarity over the extent of the issues.
He said: “I am deeply concerned by this ongoing speculation which is casting a shadow over the election. The public will rightly be appalled that anyone close to the decision to call the election would use inside information to bet on an outcome they knew in advance.”
He added: “With postal ballots already being sent out, many millions of people will be casting their vote this week. They deserve to have all the relevant facts about this scandal at their disposal when doing so.”
Mr McFadden urged the commission to confirm who is subject to its investigations.
He said: “I believe it is in the public interest that the Gambling Commission makes public the names of other figures you are investigating relating to this matter.”
Mr McFadden has also pressed the commission on the use of its investigation being offered as a reason not to comment on the allegations.
He added: “In the interests of transparency, and to allow the public to be in full possession of the facts, I ask that you make available the widest possible information about how wide the circle spreads.”
On the campaign trail today Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his party is conducting a ‘parrallel’ investigation into the issue.
He said: “The Gambling Commission is independent of government – it’s independent of me.
“I don’t have the details of their investigation, right? They don’t report to me, I don’t have the details, but what I can tell you is, in parallel we’ve been conducting our own internal inquiries and of course will act on any relevant findings or information from that and pass it on to the Gambling Commission.”
