What an election betting scandal reveals about British politics and culture

It's a very British scandal, sordid, sad and funny.

This affair also arouses disproportionate revulsion among many voters. In a YouGov poll of 3,739 Britons on Tuesday, 60% of respondents said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was handling the betting scandal somewhat or very poorly. Only 16% said Sunak was handling the allegations somewhat or very well.

Like Partygate, in which aides to former prime minister Boris Johnson were seen carrying suitcases of wine into Downing Street for karaoke nights (and some vomiting in the stairwell) at the height of lockdown, it's the kind of scandal the average person can understand.

The Conservative Party has announced it is withdrawing its support for two Conservative parliamentary candidates, Craig Williams and Laura Saunders, who are under investigation for alleged betting.

Sunak described himself as extremely angry.

A Labour Party candidate also admitted betting against himself.

Imagine someone in government sneaking in to place a small bet to score a few winnings based on inside information, with the public service being a profit center.

Brits can legally bet on almost anything: the discovery of extraterrestrial life, the existence of God, the marriage of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

Betting markets are dominated by sports football, rugby and horse and dog racing, but there is also a popular subcategory of political betting. In the London borough of Westminster alone, where Downing Street and the House of Commons are located, there are around 140 gambling establishments where one can bet on the various results of the 2024 elections.

We went to a William Hill betting parlor on Wednesday, less than 10 minutes' walk from Downing Street, and put £5 on Labor to win and £5 on the Conservatives. Because we are non-partisan.

If Labor wins, our payment will be £5.15. If the Conservatives win, we will receive £255. Stay tuned.

The salon manager, who requested anonymity because she was not authorized, was quick to point out that the scandal was big news at her store.

It's like insider trading, she said. Behind her, on the television screens, dogs ran and horses jumped. According to her, a big win on a political bet could bring in 50,000 pounds.

The latest scandal to engulf the Conservative Party involves politicians betting on the election date and the possible misuse of inside information.

On May 22, Sunak surprised many, but perhaps not all, by standing at a lectern outside Downing Street, battling pouring rain, and announcing that the next election date would be July 4 .

BBC's Newsnight has reported that up to 15 Conservative candidates and officials are being investigated by the Gambling Commission over allegations they placed bets on the date of the general election.

The scale of the scandal has also attracted five Metropolitan Police officers, who are under investigation for betting on the election date and the opposition Labor Party. Labor has suspended a candidate after betting he would lose his bid in the July 4 election.

The scandal sparked a debate over whether politicians should be allowed to bet on anything related to politics. The gambling watchdog says it can be an offense if someone uses confidential information during a bet to gain an unfair advantage.

Mel Stride, a minister and Sunak ally, told Times Radio on Wednesday there should be a debate about political betting. But let me be very, very clear, he added, that I completely agree that using inside information, as some people may have done in this way, is completely wrong.

Sara Hobolt, a policy expert at the London School of Economics, told a briefing to reporters this week that the Conservatives have suffered a series of what she calls competence shocks.

The Conservatives have trailed Labor in the polls since late 2021 and the first Partygate reports. The scandal played a major role in the ouster of Boris Johnson, who was succeeded by Liz Truss, whose economic plan led to a run on the pound. His tenure as prime minister did not survive on wilted lettuce. This period was followed by high inflation and a cost of living crisis.

After those shocks, they never recovered, Hobolt said.

Keir Starmer, the Labor Party leader and likely next prime minister, was asked about the gambling scandal and whether politicians should be able to bet on politics. He told reporters on the campaign trail that the rules were not the problem, but that politicians were using inside information.

Asked by the BBC if he had ever bet himself, Starmer replied that he hadn't bet on politics, but yes, I bet on horses, not a lot of money, but I I bet on horses.