The scandal of Partygate
had shaken Boris Johnson, the Covid party animal, in 2022. This time, it’s a paris-gate
who threatens his successor Rishi Sunak. Just before the conservative Prime Minister announced the timetable for the legislative elections, several members of his entourage are suspected of having bet big on the (good) date, July 4.
Also read. Legislative elections in the United Kingdom: a poll shows the far right in strength
Visionaries or cheats? Targeted by an investigation by the Gambling Commission, Tony Lee, campaign director of the Conservatives, had to resign. Just like his wife and candidate Laura Saunders. Or Nick Mason, Party data manager; a police officer responsible for protecting the Prime Minister and outgoing MP Craig Williams, also Rishi Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary.
He would have pocketed five times his stake, or £500 (€590). But according to the Sunday Times, earnings climb to tens of thousands of pounds
for others involved.
Also read. UK elections: Conservatives in disarray
Insider trading, if proven, would be sacrilegious in the realm of bookmakers. Because across the Channel, we don’t mess around with gambling. Here, all bets are allowed. From the most indelicate – the date of Harry and Meghan’s divorce – to the most futile: the color of the hats of the late Queen Elizabeth II has long made the little world of the monarchy’s high rollers quiver…
He no longer wriggles. Rishi Sunak says to himself terribly angry
and requires that fraudulent bettors be expelled from the Party
. An internal investigation has been opened. The conservatives, worn out by fourteen years of power, did not need one more scandal. The latest YouGov poll promises them a historic rout, with 20% voting intentions. Far behind Labor (36%) and closely followed by Nigel Farage’s far-right Reform UK (18%).
