Alister Jack is claimed to have told a BBC reporter he’d won £2,100 by betting on the date of the General Election – but this evening claimed it had been a ‘joke’
A Tory Cabinet minister boasted that he’d won £2,100 betting on the date of the General Election, it has been claimed.
In the wake of Rishi Sunak ’s surprise announcement, Alister Jack is alleged to have told a reporter that he’d made the sum thanks to odds as good as 25/1. The Scottish Secretary told the BBC his remarks had been a “joke”.
But in a statement he did not deny placing bets on the election date in the months leading up to Mr Sunak’s surprise announcement. He said: “I am very clear that I have never, on any occasion, broken any Gambling Commission rules.
“I did not place any bets on the date of the general election during May – the period under investigation by the Gambling Commission. Furthermore, I am not aware of any family or friends placing bets. I have nothing more to say on this matter.”
Mr Sunak called the election on May 22. Mr Jack, who has represented Dumfries and Galloway since 2017, is not seeking re-election. A spokesperson for the Gambling Commission said: “We are not confirming or denying the identity of any individuals involved in this investigation.”
Meanwhile the Welsh Conservatives announced Senedd member Russell George was stepping back from his role as Shadow Health Minister due to a Gambling Commission probe.
Mr George represents the same area as Craig Williams, Mr Sunak’s parliamentary aide who was been suspended over bets on the election date. Andrew RT Davies, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said: “Russell George has informed me that he has received a letter from the Gambling Commission regarding bets on the timing of the General Election. “Russell George has stepped back from the Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet while these investigations are ongoing.”
The betting scandal has plunged Rishi Sunak’s campaign into crisis. Earlier today he finally suspended candidates Mr Williams and Laura Saunders, who are accused of placing bets on the election date.
Mr Williams, who was the Prime Minister’s parliamentary aide and is standing in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, says he “committed an error of judgment, not an offence” and intends to clear his name. As well as the parliamentary candidates, two senior Tory officials have taken a leave of absence at a crucial point in the campaign after also being drawn into the Gambling Commission probe.
Ms Saunders’s husband Tony Lee, Tory director of campaigning, and chief data officer Nick Mason have stepped back from their duties, while a police officer on Mr Sunak’s close protection team is also being investigated.