The Times alleged that dozens of bets had been placed with potential winnings worth thousands of pounds
\n LONDON
\nThe chief data officer of Britain\u2019s Conservative Party has taken a leave of absence, British media reported Sunday, following growing allegations that the governing party\u2019s members used inside information to bet on the date of Britain\u2019s July 4 national election before it was announced.
\nThe Sunday Times and others reported that Nick Mason is the fourth Conservative official to be investigated by the UK\u2019s Gambling Commission for allegedly betting on the timing of the election.
\nThe Times alleged that dozens of bets had been placed with potential winnings worth thousands of pounds.
\nThe reports came after revelations in recent days that two Conservative election candidates, Laura Saunders and Craig Williams, are under investigation by the gambling watchdog. Saunders\u2019 husband Tony Lee, the Conservative director of campaigning, has also taken a leave of absence following allegations he was also investigated over alleged betting.
\nPolice said one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak \u2018s police bodyguards was arrested Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The arrest came after the gambling regulator confirmed it was investigating \u201cthe possibility of offenses concerning the date of the election.\u201d
\nThe growing scandal, just two weeks ahead of the national election, has dealt a fresh blow to Sunak\u2019s Conservative Party, which is widely expected to lose to the opposition Labour Party after 14 years in power.
\nSunak said this week that he was \u201cincredibly angry\u201d to learn of the allegations and said that anyone found to have broken the law should be expelled from his party.
\nSunak announced on May 22 that parliamentary elections would be held on July 4. The date had been a closely guarded secret and many were taken by surprise because a vote had been expected in the fall.
\nSaunders, a candidate standing in Bristol, southwest England, has said she will cooperate fully with the investigation.
\nWilliams was Sunak\u2019s parliamentary private secretary as well as a member of Parliament running for reelection on July 4. He has acknowledged that he was being investigated by the Gambling Commission for placing a 100-pound ($128) bet on a July election before the date had been announced.
\nSenior Conservative minister Michael Gove condemned the alleged betting and likened it to \u201d Partygate,\u201d the ethics scandal that contributed to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson\u2019s ouster in 2022.
\nThat controversy saw public trust in the Conservatives plummet after revelations that politicians and officials held lockdown-flouting parties and gatherings in government buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
\n\u201cIt looks like one rule for them and one rule for us,\u201d Gove told the Sunday Times. \u201cThat\u2019s the most potentially damaging thing.\u201d
\nDaisy Cooper, the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, said \u201cpeople are sick and tired of this sleaze\u201d and that Sunak must intervene and order an official inquiry.
\nThe Conservative Party said it cannot comment because investigations are ongoing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Times alleged that dozens of bets had been placed with potential winnings worth thousands of pounds LONDON The chief data officer of Britain\u2019s Conservative Party has taken a leave of absence, British media reported Sunday, following growing allegations that the governing party\u2019s members used inside information to bet on the date of Britain\u2019s July […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":414129,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-414107","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n