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A senior Conservative leader has been accused of betting £8,000 on losing a seat in the election as a gambling scandal continues to grip the campaign.
Sir Philip Davies, who is married to cabinet minister Esther McVey, is defending a majority of 6,242 votes in Shipley, West Yorkshire.
The gambling allegations first SunSpeaking to the paper, Sir Philip said the amounts involved were “nobody’s business” and that he “fully expected to lose his seat”, but denied he had done anything illegal.
He added: “I want to win. I’m doing everything I can to win. I know I’ll lose. I did everything I could to win the 2005 election. I knew I’d lose.”
At least five Conservative members are being investigated by the Gambling Commission as part of an investigation into bets on the timing of the July 4 election.
The Metropolitan police are leading an investigation into a “small number of incidents” related to the Westminster gambling scandal and will “assess whether the allegations go beyond gambling law to include other conduct, such as misconduct in official office.”
A Metropolitan police spokesman said: “The Metropolitan police are not taking over an investigation into betting relating to the timing of the general election.”
“The Gambling Commission will continue to lead investigations into cases where there are allegations of breaches of the Gambling Act alone.”
“Detectives from the Metropolitan Police are leading the investigation into a small number of incidents to determine whether the allegations extend beyond gambling laws to other offences, such as misconduct by a public official. We will provide further information tomorrow.”
On Tuesday, Welsh Assembly member Russell George was told he would take part in the watchdog’s investigation.
George said he would cooperate fully with the committee and would not comment further, saying it was for the public body to determine any wrongdoing, “not the media.”
“I have stepped back from the shadow cabinet whilst the investigation continues because I do not want to cause unnecessary disruption to their work,” he said.
Cabinet minister Alistair Jack also admitted to placing bets on the election date but was not investigated by the watchdog as he did so earlier this year, before the watchdog’s investigation into allegations of using inside information began.
The Prime Minister has suspended the campaigning of Craig Williams, who is standing for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr, and Laura Sanders, who is standing for Bristol North West, in the wake of the gambling investigation.
Sanders’ husband, Tony Lee, the party’s campaign chairman, and chief data officer Nick Mason have both stepped down from their roles.
The Labour Party has also been drawn into the fray, suspending candidate Kevin Craig after he was investigated by regulators for betting that he would lose races in central Suffolk and north Ipswich.
And one of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s security officers is on restricted duty after being arrested on suspicion of official misconduct relating to betting on the timing of the general election. Five other Metropolitan police officers have since been identified in the commission’s investigation.
As the scandal grew, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the problem was not the rules, but that politicians were using inside information.
During the BBC election debate on Wednesday night, both party leaders were asked about the scandal, with Mr Sunak saying: “Having regard for the seriousness and sensitivity of the issue, we have dealt with it appropriately, and I have done so too.”
Mr Sunak has previously said he would “not hesitate to take action” against party leaders if they were found to have rigged the timing of the election.
Earlier, Home Secretary James Cleverley acknowledged the deepening Westminster gambling row was “diverting the conversation from really important issues”, but avoided saying whether the rules on political betting should be changed.
The Home Secretary said he was “outraged” that people “who should be motivated solely by public service” had bet on the election, but insisted on waiting for the results of the Gambling Commission’s investigation before making any decision to change the rules.
“We are outraged to hear that people who should be motivated to focus on public service have done this, which is why we have taken action internally as a party,” Mr Cleverley said during a campaign visit to Nottinghamshire.
“Of course, this diverts the conversation from the really important issue, which is the choice between low tax rates under a Conservative government and high tax rates under a Labour government.”
Additional reporting by PA