Labour Candidate Suspended after Betting on UK Election Date
The scandal surrounding election date betting in the UK has now grown to include Labour candidates in addition to several members of the Conservatives and serving police officers.
Labour Party controversially caught in election date betting scandal.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:Labour has withdrawn its support for Kevin Craig after it was informed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) that he was being investigated. Craig then admitted to placing a bet, which he described as a “stupid error of judgment”. Craig has made donations totaling more than £100,000 to Labour, which the party has now returned.
The news will be awkward for Sir Keir Starmer, who has spent the last few days attacking Prime Minister Rishi Sunak over the UK election date betting scandal. However, in contrast to Sunak, Starmer acted quickly to cut ties with his candidate.
With Keir Starmer as leader, the Labour Party upholds the highest standards for our parliamentary candidates, as the public rightly expects from any party hoping to serve, which is why we have acted immediately in this case.
Betting on a Loss
Labour had selected Craig to stand in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, a traditional Tory stronghold with a majority of more than 23,000. He said that he put a bet on himself to lose the election a few weeks ago and that had he won, he would have given the winnings to local charities.
Craig said that he placed the bet without “any prior knowledge of the outcome”, yet described it as a “huge mistake” for which he apologizes “unreservedly”.
I deeply regret what I have done and will take the consequences of this stupid error of judgment on the chin. I am deeply sorry to the many dedicated and loyal local Labour Party volunteers who have been supporting my campaign. I will comply fully with the investigation.
Despite the Labour Party withdrawing its support, Craig will still appear on the ballot paper for the party as the deadline for registering candidates has passed. However, if he wins in next week’s election, then he will sit in Parliament as an independent MP.
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Ties to the Gambling Industry
Craig founded the communications company PLMR, which has previously worked on the branding for Responsible Gambling Week. However, this appears not to have influenced his decision to bet on the election.
Last week, Starmer promised that if anyone tied to the Labour Party was found to have bet on the election, they would be removed. So far, Craig is the only Labour candidate or official that the party has been notified about by the UKGC, and true to his word, Starmer withdrew support immediately.
On the same day, the Tories revealed that they had suspended Craig Williams and Laura Saunders for betting on the election date. In another development, Cabinet minister Alister Jack, the Scottish Secretary, said that he had placed three bets on the date of the general election, one of which was a winning bet; however, he denies any wrongdoing.
Furthermore, Scotland Yard has said it is investigating five more police officers in relation to election bets.
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