Labour has suspended a candidate who bet he would lose his bid to become an MP, as a Gambling Commission probe into political betting widened.
A Labour party spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that the gambling regulator had launched an investigation into Kevin Craig, its candidate for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich.
Craig bet that he would lose at next week’s general election, according to a Labour official with direct knowledge of the matter. On current polling, the seat is a toss-up between Labour and the Conservatives.
Labour said that, after the “receipt of communication” from the Gambling Commission, it had acted to suspend Craig, adding: “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.”
The party is also set to return a £100,000 donation it took from Craig last year, according to officials.
The suspension drags Labour into a scandal that had hitherto engulfed the Conservatives and the police and will be a relief to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of a final head-to-head debate with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday.
Craig said: “Throughout my life I have enjoyed the odd bet for fun whether on politics or horses. A few weeks ago when I thought I would never win this seat I put a bet on the Tories to win here with the intention of giving any winnings to local charities. While I did not place this bet with any prior knowledge of the outcome, this was a huge mistake, for which I apologise unreservedly.”
He added he would comply with the investigation. “I deeply regret what I have done and will take the consequences of this stupid error of judgment on the chin.”
Craig is founder and chief executive of PLMR, a Westminster lobbying firm. His selection to be the candidate to represent Labour for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich was controversial because he was on a shortlist of one.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sunak withdrew support from two Conservative party candidates who had allegedly been involved with betting on the timing of the election.
Embroiled in gambling scandal
kevin craig
Former Labour candidate, standing in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
craig williams
Parliamentary private secretary to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, standing in Montgomeryshire
laura saunders
Conservative staffer, standing in Bristol North West
police officers
Unnamed police officer in Sunak’s bodyguard team faces criminal probe. Five more police officers are also being investigated by the Met
Nick mason
Conservative party chief data officer, currently on leave
tony lee
Director of campaigning for the Conservative party, currently on leave
After backing Craig Williams and Laura Saunders for several days, the prime minister pulled the plug on the candidates on Tuesday morning.
Saunders, a Tory staffer and wife of the party’s campaign director, is standing in Bristol North West while Williams, a former parliamentary aide to Sunak, is standing in Montgomeryshire.
With nominations having closed, Williams and Saunders, like Craig, will appear on ballot papers for their parties but no longer enjoy official endorsement.
In a statement made after being dropped on Tuesday, Williams said he had committed “an error of judgment, not an offence” in placing the bet, adding: “I intend to clear my name.”
Sunak has said he is “extremely angry” about the scandal, but until now added he had wanted to allow official investigations into the possible use in election betting of privileged information run their course before taking any disciplinary action.
Asked why Sunak had changed his mind, one Tory official said simply: “Further inquiries.”
London’s Metropolitan Police also announced that five more officers were under investigation by the commission for allegedly placing bets on the timing of the election, in the wake of the arrest last week of one of Sunak’s bodyguards.
The Met Police said the five additional officers had not been arrested or suspended. “Decisions on whether they will be subject to any restrictions will be taken in due course,” it said.
The Gambling Commission has widened its probe to look at hundreds of bets placed in the days before Sunak called the election for July 4 and is sifting through wagers — for which individuals stood to gain more than £199 — to identify potential links to politicians.
There was another glimmer of hope for the Tories, with two polls showing support for Reform UK slipping in recent days, following Sunak’s repeated warning that a vote for Nigel Farage’s party could help to give Labour a big majority.
A JL Partners poll put Labour on 41 per cent, Conservatives on 25 per cent, Reform down three points on 15 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 11. A Savanta poll put Labour on 42 per cent, Tories on 21 per cent, Reform down two on 14 per cent and Lib Dems on 10 per cent.
