Cleverly: ‘No knowledge’ of ministers placing election bets as Tory crisis grows

James Cleverly said he had no reason to believe that ministers had placed bets on the timing of the General Election as the Tory campaign was hit by further gambling allegations.

The Conservative campaign has been plunged into a deeper crisis as the party’s chief data officer took a leave of absence amid claims he placed bets on the election timing.

Data chief Nick Mason is understood to be taking the leave of absence from Conservative HQ, following director of campaigning Tony Lee in stepping back from crucial roles at the party.

Home Secretary James Cleverly on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme. Picture: Jeff Overs/BBC/PA Wire

The loss of two senior figures at a time when Labour’s poll lead over the Tories remains stubbornly around 20 points gives Rishi Sunak a further headache in the closing stages of the campaign.

Asked on the BBC if any ministers had put a bet on the timing of the election, Mr Cleverly said: “Not to my knowledge.”

The Home Secretary told GB News: “My view has always been the case that people in government should focus on delivering for the people of this country.

“People who are officials of the party should be focused on returning as many Conservative MPs as possible so we can form a government, so that we can serve the British people.

“And anything other than that is inappropriate. So whilst I’m not going to discuss any of the details, people should focus exclusively on the people we’re here to serve.”

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove compared the impact of the row with the Partygate scandal.

“It looks like one rule for them and one rule for us,” he told the Sunday Times, adding: “That’s the most potentially damaging thing.”

Mr Gove went on to suggest it was “just not acceptable” for those in a “privileged position” close to the Prime Minister to use what he described as “inside information to make additional money for yourself”.

He added: “You are, in effect, securing an advantage against other people who are betting entirely fairly and without that knowledge. So if these allegations are true, it’s very difficult to defend.”

The latest gambling allegations were published by The Sunday Times, which claimed dozens of bets had been placed with potential winnings worth thousands of pounds.

As well as the two Conservative officials, Mr Lee’s wife Laura Saunders, the candidate in Bristol North West, is also under investigation by the commission.

Craig Williams, who was the Prime Minister’s parliamentary private secretary and is the Conservative candidate for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, has admitted to putting “a flutter” on the date of the election and is also facing a probe.

And one of the Prime Minister’s police protection officers was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and is also subject to an investigation by the gambling regulator.

Mr Sunak surprised many Westminster-watchers by calling the election for July 4 instead of holding the contest in the autumn.

Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson has said there is “genuine disgust” among voters over the General Election betting allegations.

She told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “The issue here is whether those people who had inside knowledge of what was going on used that information in placing a bet.

“People across the country will place bets, but I think there is genuine disgust among so many voters that what we’re seeing here is pretty shocking behaviour.

“Rishi Sunak promised us that his Government would be different, he hasn’t acted against candidates concerned, he should suspend them, and – as Michael Gove has said – this just reminds people of the worst excesses of the Conservatives over the last 14 years.”

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The Liberal Democrats called on Mr Sunak to intervene personally, with a Cabinet Office inquiry into the reports.

Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “This is now an all-out scandal at the heart of Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party.”

In other developments, Mr Cleverly accused Nigel Farage of "victim blaming of the worst order" for suggesting the West provoked Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Reform UK leader Mr Farage said he was not an "apologist" for the Russian president, but "what I have been saying for the past 10 years is that the West has played into Putin's hands, giving him the excuse to do what he wanted to do anyway".

Mr Cleverly said it was "completely wrong" for a British politician to be "echoing" Mr Putin's justification for the war.

He told GB News : "There is a strong track record of Western leaders and Western countries trying to bring Russia into the fold as it were, to try and show Russia and Russians that there was a peaceful, prosperous future for them.

"Time and time again now we've seen Putin reject the peaceful, more prosperous options and he's waged conflict in Ukraine , Russian troops in Georgia , Russian troops in other countries around eastern Europe .

"To suggest somehow that those countries brought it upon themselves, I think, is victim blaming of the worst order."

In a BBC interview, Mr Farage claimed "we provoked this war", while drawing a link between Nato and European Union expansion in recent decades and the conflict in eastern Europe .

He doubled down on his position in an article in the Sunday Telegraph , writing: "Don't blame me for telling the truth about Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine . Facing up to the facts about the mistakes of the past has to be the first step towards the peaceful future we all want to see."

He added: "I am not and never have been an apologist or supporter of Putin. His invasion of Ukraine was immoral, outrageous and indefensible."