Conservative minister suggests Sunak should suspend Tories over betting scandal

A Conservative minister suggested that Rishi Sunak should suspend the Tories involved in the election betting scandal.

Steve Baker, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said it was “disreputable” to place bets on the election date and that he would campaign for such betting to be banned.

He told ITV’s Peston: “If they were placing bets, it was shady and I would call them and ask if they had done it. And if they had, they are suspended.”

He added: “But the Prime Minister would have to answer why he didn’t do it. I have no inside information as to why the Prime Minister didn’t do it.”

Meanwhile, Sir Iain Duncan-Smith said he was “generally opposed to people in politics betting on political outcomes”.

The former Tory leader told The Guardian: “Either the party can say it will not be tolerated or you can legislate it. If you rely on legislation, it would be a complex process.”

“Parties can say that anyone who does something like that should not be in the party. They can react faster than governments.”

He added: “But either way, it needs to be made clear that the public does not approve of this and this should not happen. That is a matter for the next Parliament.”

Former Defense Secretary Tobias Ellwood had previously stated that there must be “clear rules” to “prevent a current politician or party official from placing bets in the future.”

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