Sunday, July 7, 2024

Labour Suspends Candidate Accused Of Betting On Himself To Lose

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Kevin Craig

Kevin Craig https://www.kevincraig.co.uk/

Labour has suspended a parliamentary candidate accused of betting on himself to lose in the general election.

The party dumped Kevin Craig after the Gambling Commission launched an investigation into him.

HuffPost UK understands Craig, who is standing for Labour in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, is accused of betting against himself.

The Tories currently hold the seat with a majority of 23,391. It was previously held by former Tory Dan Poulter, who defected to Labour in April.

A Labour party spokesperson said: “With Keir Starmer as leader, the Labour party upholds the highest standards for our parliamentary candidates, as the public rightly expects from any party hoping to serve, which is why we have acted immediately in this case.”

The Tories are already embroiled in their own betting scandal amid allegations senior party figures placed bets on the date of the election.

Earlier today, the party dumped two of their own candidates – Craig Williams and Laura Saunders – over the affair.

Conservative campaign director Tony Lee – who is Saunders’ husband – and its chief data officer Nick Mason have both taken a leave of absence from their roles after also being accused of betting on the date of the election.

One of the prime minister’s close protection officers has also been arrested as part of the inquiry, and the Metropolitan Police confirmed today that the Gambling Commission has told them that five further officers also allegedly placed bets on the election date.

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