Posted on: June 28, 2024, 01:52h.
Last updated on: June 28, 2024, 01:52h.
A senior UK Conservative politician says he has nothing to apologize for after he was accused of betting on himself to lose his seat in parliament at next week’s general election.
Sir Philip Davies MP neither confirmed nor denied placing the £8,000 wager, first reported by The Sun. But he told the UK tabloid he firmly expected to be defeated July 4 in an anticipated landslide loss for the governing Conservative Party. Davies has been the member of parliament for Shipley, Yorkshire, since 2005.
What’s it got to do with you whether I did or didn’t?” he asked The Sun, adding that he had done nothing illegal.
“I hope to win [in the election],” he said. “I’m busting a gut to win. I expect to lose. In the 2005 election, I busted a gut to win. I expected to lose. I had a bet on myself to lose in the 2005 election, and my bet went down the pan.”
Sinking Ship
The Conservatives’ already sinking reelection campaign has been torpedoed by a series of mishaps, including an ongoing investigation by the UK Gambling Commission into alleged insider betting.
Five prominent party figures are known to be suspected of placing bets on the timing of a general election just days before prime minister Rishi Sunak called it on May 22.
These include two who were expected to stand in next week’s election, the prime minister’s chief aide, Craig Wiliams, and Laura Saunders, who is married to the Conservative Party campaign manager. Both candidates were suspended by the Conservatives Tuesday.
A report by The Telegraph this week suggested that as many as 15 party officials in all were under suspicion.
Also in the frame is an unnamed member of Sunak’s personal security detail, who is a special officer with London’s Metropolitan Police. Several other Met officers are also under investigation.
Those found to have placed bets with insider information could be charged with cheating at gambling, which comes with a maximum sentence of two years in prison. They could also be prosecuted for misconduct in public office, which comes with a maximum prison sentence of life.
Davies Broke No Rules
By contrast, if Davies has indeed bet against his own reelection, he would be correct in saying that he has not broken the law, since the outcome of the election remains unknown and beyond his control.
Betting against yourself is only prohibited if you happen to be a professional athlete, and even then, it only contravenes the regulations of the official body that governs your sport, unless match-fixing is involved, which is fraud.
In fact, Davies isn’t even the first lawmaker to have been accused of betting against himself at this election. That dubious honor goes to Labour Party candidate Kevin Craig.
Craig admitted Thursday to placing the wager, which he said was “a bit of fun,” adding that he intended to give the winnings to local charities. He was immediately suspended by the party.
