The Conservative Party’s former chief data officer Nick Mason and 11 other individuals have pleaded not guilty to charges of cheating at gambling and three counts of enabling or assisting others to cheat.
One of the most high-profile individuals caught up in the scandal, Mason is accused of placing bets on when the date of the 2024 General Election would be held, alongside 14 other individuals charged by the Gambling Commission.
These include former Tory MP Craig Williams, who also served as then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary.
Williams was the first to be named in the incident dubbed “Gamblegate” after he admitted to having a “flutter” on when the election would take place.
The Tories’ ex-chief marketing officer Simon Chatfield and former director of campaigning Anthony Lee likewise entered not guilty pleas.
Among the accused was also Lee’s wife, Laura Saunders, who was the former Tory parliamentary candidate for Bristol North West.
Of the 15 individuals appearing in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 13 June, 12 denied the charges.
Williams, former police officer Jeremy Hunt and Jacob Willmer gave no indication of their respective pleas.
All 15 individuals are due to reappear at Southwark Crown Court on 11 July at 10am after Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring referred the case.
Last year, the Gambling Commission launched an investigation into individuals placing bets on the date of the election using inside information.
The general election took place on 4 July 2024, with Labour, under Sir Keir Starmer, securing a landslide victory.
A separate Metropolitan Police investigation was conducted last June and ended in August, with no criminal charges brought forward.
In the aftermath of election, former Labour candidate Kevin Craig called for a ban on politicians being allowed to bet on the outcome of political elections.
Craig, who had placed a bet on himself to lose the seat in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, was suspended from the Labour Party in July 2024, although was cleared of any wrongdoing following a Gambling Commission investigation.
A Gambling Commission statement read: “The investigation, initiated in June 2024, focused on individuals suspected of using confidential information – specifically advance knowledge of the proposed election date – to gain an unfair advantage in betting markets.
“Such actions constitute an offence of cheating under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005, [which is] a criminal offence.”
The post Gamblegate: Former Tory MPs appear in court over general election betting scandal first appeared on EGR Intel.
Ex-Conservative chief data officer Nick Mason and 14 other individuals accused of placing bets using confidential information on the date of 2024 general election
The post Gamblegate: Former Tory MPs appear in court over general election betting scandal first appeared on EGR Intel.