A senior Conservative official has become the fourth party figure subject to an investigation by the gambling watchdog, amid reports he placed dozens of bets on the timing of the election before it was announced. The Gambling Commission has informed Nick Mason, the Tories’ chief data officer, that he is part of its inquiry into bets on the timing of the election, the Sunday Times reported. The Conservative party confirmed that Mason had taken a leave of absence. Mason is the latest confirmed Conservative figure to be facing an investigation in a growing gambling scandal that has engulfed the party during the election campaign. It has led to at least two party officials taking an unscheduled leave of absence from its headquarters as they are investigated. Michael Gove, the outgoing levelling up secretary, likened it to the Partygate scandal that dogged Boris Johnson’s premiership. A Conservative party spokesperson said: “As instructed by the Gambling Commission, we are not permitted to discuss any matters related to any investigation with the subject or any other persons.” A spokesperson for Mason said it would be inappropriate to comment during an investigation but that he denied wrongdoing. The Guardian uncovered the scandal by revealing last week that bets placed by Craig Williams, who is Rishi Sunak’s closest parliamentary aide, were the subject of an investigation by the Gambling Commission for betting that the election would be in July, three days before it was called. The watchdog is also examining bets allegedly placed by Tony Lee, the Conservative party’s campaigns director, who is now on leave of absence, and his wife, Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate in Bristol North West. One of the prime minister’s close protection police officers has also been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations they also placed bets. “I’m not in any way going to defend people who placed bets on that,” James Cleverly, the home secretary, said on Sunday. He said the behaviour was “inappropriate” but claimed it only involved a “small number of individuals” and that it was a matter for the Gambling Commission. Cleverly told Sky News’s Trevor Phillips on Sunday that he had “no reason to believe” that any cabinet ministers had placed bets. Mason is alleged to have placed several dozen bets over an unspecified period before Sunak announced he planned to hold the election on 4 July, the Sunday Times reported. Each of his bets was worth less than £100, but together the winnings would have amounted to thousands of pounds, according to the paper. Using confidential information to gain an unfair advantage when betting may constitute a criminal offence. Sunak said last week he was “incredibly angry” about the betting allegations and added: “If anyone is found to have broken the rules, they should not only face the full consequences of the law but I will ensure that they are booted out of the Conservative party too.”
But the prime minister has faced criticism for not taking tougher action against those placed under investigation. Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, has said anyone accused of similar conduct in his ranks would “be gone and their feet would not have touched the floor”. Gove told the Sunday Times in an interview: “It looks like one rule for them and one rule for us … That’s the most potentially damaging thing. The perception that we operate outside the rules that we set for others. That was damaging at the time of Partygate and is damaging here.” A spokesperson for the Gambling Commission said: “The Gambling Commission regulates gambling in the interests of consumers and the wider public. “Currently the commission is investigating the possibility of offences concerning the date of the election. This is an ongoing investigation, and the commission cannot provide any further details at this time. “We are not confirming or denying the identity of any individuals involved in this investigation.”