A former member of the Parliamentary Culture, Media & Sport Committee has been accused of placing bets on the outcome of his seat, in the latest addition to the growing election betting scandal. Conservative Party candidate for Shipley Sir Philip Davies finds himself in the centre of the scandal as it is claimed he placed an £8000 bet he would lose his seat in the upcoming election.
The election betting scandal, which has been growing since its revelation, sees multiple Conservative Party members and candidates being investigated by the Gambling Commission to determine whether they placed bets on the timing of the July 4th General Election with insider knowledge. The scandal also now involves multiple police officers and a Labour Party Parliamentary Candidate.
Philip Davies, who has been elected to his Shipley seat in the past five general elections, sat on the Culture, Media & Sport Committee from 2019 to 2020, from the end of the previous Parliament and into the Parliament which has just ended. He is married to Cabinet minister Ester McVey and is defending a majority of just over 6000, predicted to lose his seat to the Labour Party.
In response to the allegations, Davies said that whilst doing nothing illegal, he “fully expected to lose the seat”. He went on to say that “I hope to win. 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”. He is the latest addition to the growing scandal engulfing the General Election campaign, affecting both of the major parties of the U.K. Parliament and Welsh Senedd, figures within the Civil Service and police figures.
Two Conservative Parliamentary Candidates, Craig Williams for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr and Laura Saunders for Bristol North West have been suspended as a result of the investigation, as well as Labour Parliamentary Candidate Kevin Craig being suspended for betting against himself winning the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich seat. Several Cabinet members, including Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack and Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake have also admitted placing bets on the election.
The investigation into these alleged bets all seek to determine whether bets on the date of the General Election were made with insider knowledge. Making bets on the outcome of the General Election, a specific seat or the election date are not illegal in themselves, but the discussion has asked whether politicians or prospective politicians making political bets is immoral, rather than illegal.
As the scandal continues to grow with only one week to go until the country goes to the polls, it is unclear what effect, if any, this will have on the outcome of the election, but it has taken attention away from policies both sides are wishing to push to the public. It is unclear how this will affect Philip Davies as a candidate, but is yet another name being added to a growing list of candidates embroiled in this scandal, with the extent of this issue much larger than originally thought.
The 2024 U.K. General Election will take place on July 4th
