UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has taken a cautious approach to the scandal involving allegations of betting on the General Election, insisting that it is proper to wait for the outcome of multiple investigations before taking action. The allegations have engulfed the Conservative Party, with several figures with links to the party and Number 10 facing investigation by the Gambling Commission, the police, and the party’s own internal inquiry.
Sunak’s former parliamentary aide Craig Williams, chief data officer Nick Mason, and campaigning director Tony Lee have all been implicated in the scandal, with Lee’s wife, Tory candidate Laura Saunders, also under investigation by the Gambling Commission. Despite the controversy, Sunak has refused to take a more robust stance against those implicated, instead opting to await the outcome of the investigations.
This stance has been criticized by many, including some within the Conservative Party and senior opposition leaders. Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood has called for the Prime Minister to suspend those being investigated, while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has accused Sunak of trying to kick the story “into the long grass”. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has also weighed in, suggesting that the Conservatives are operating under one rule for themselves and another for others.
Rishi Sunak’s refusal to take action has been seen as a major blow to the party’s chances of defending their seats in the upcoming general election. The party is already struggling in the polls, and the scandal has undoubtedly made things worse. The pressure is mounting on Sunak to take a firmer stance and restore trust in the party.
Rishi Sunak (Via Rishi Sunak/Twitter)
The Prime Minister has been campaigning across the country, using the controversy to attack the opposition and promote his party’s manifestos. In a speech at the Scottish Conservative manifesto launch in Edinburgh, Sunak accused the SNP and Labour of being weak on independence and pro-EU, respectively. He also accused Labour of potentially selling out the UK’s fishing industry to the EU.
The SNP, however, has hit back at the Conservatives, accusing them of having an “obsession” with their party and Scotland’s independence. The SNP’s candidate for Gordon and Buchan, Richard Thomson, said that the Conservative manifesto’s repeated references to the SNP showed that they were rattled by the prospect of a democratic drubbing.
As the election campaign enters its final stages, it remains to be seen whether Sunak’s cautious approach will be enough to restore trust in the Conservative Party. The party’s chances of defending their seats and forming a government after the election hang in the balance, and the scandal is unlikely to go away anytime soon.
