David Cameron says Rishi Sunak aide’s bet on election date was ‘very foolish’
GuardianJUN 15 2024
UK Elections: Sunak's Officer Arrested Over Alleged Election Betting
Image copyright: Leon Neal/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The UK's Gambling Commission is investigating Conservative candidate Laura Saunders and her husband, Tony Lee, over alleged illegal bets about the general election's timing.
Lee, the Conservative Party's director of campaigning, has taken a leave of absence while the Commission conducts its investigation.
This comes after Tory candidate Craig Williams, a former parliamentary aide to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, was accused of betting £100 ($127) on a July election three days before the date had been announced.
The Spin
Labour narrative
The Tories have chosen a marvelous time to expose their corrupt nature. If being on track to achieve their worst election results in a century wasn't enough, high-level parliamentarians have now added criminal acts into the mix. Sunak was already prepared to leave office as a disgraced former prime minister, and now he'll do so with yet another stain on his government's record.
Tory narrative
These handful of politicians don't represent their party or their law-abiding colleagues. As Sunak was working hard to lead the Tories into a tight race, Williams, Saunders, and this officer selfishly made his job harder. If the Gambling Commission finds these allegations to be true, those at fault should be rejected by all Conservatives.
Cynical narrative
Unfortunately for the British, the Labour Party doesn't seem eager to fix the UK's corruption problems should they win the election. The party has backtracked on several of its previously proposed ethics policies, from a five-year ban on working as consultants after leaving office to barring current MPs from working second jobs. Both parties seem to enjoy using their public status to enrich themselves.