Gamblegate: Lib Dems demand Ethics Adviser inquiry into ministers

EMBARGO: IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Liberal Democrats have written to the Prime Minister’s Ethics Adviser demanding an investigation into the Conservative election betting scandal and whether any Ministers placed bets on the election date using inside information.

In the letter to Rishi Sunak’s Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests, Sir Laurie Magnus, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said urgent clarity is needed before polling day on whether any Ministers were implicated in the scandal.

She added this would likely amount to a breach of the Ministerial Code, which states that “Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise.”

The Liberal Democrats are urging the Ethics Adviser to investigate whether the Code has been breached before polling day, in the interests of transparency to voters. 

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said:

“The Conservative betting scandal shows once again it's one rule for them and another for the rest of us.

“People are fed up with endless sleaze and scandal under the Conservative Party, from partygate to this latest gambling fiasco.

“We urgently need an inquiry by the Government’s Ethics Adviser to look into whether any Conservative Ministers were involved in placing bets on the election date. If they were, this could amount to a very serious breach of the Ministerial Code.

“We have just ten days to go until the election. The public deserves to know the true scale of this scandal before they go to the polls.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

The Ministerial Code is online here.

Letter to Sir Laurie Magnus from Daisy Cooper can be found below

To: Sir Laurie Magnus CBE, Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests

Dear Sir Laurie,

I am writing to ask that you urgently launch an investigation into any potential breaches of the Ministerial Code related to reports Conservative officials, and potentially ministers, placed bets on the date of the General Election before it was called, based on privileged information.

It has been reported that the Gambling Commission is widening its investigation, and yesterday the Home Secretary failed to rule out ministers being implicated during media interviews.

If any Ministers are found to have used their privileged position to place bets on the date of the election, or were indirectly involved in any way, this could amount to a clear breach of the Ministerial Code, which states that:

• “7.1 Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise.”

And also:

• “7.7 Ministers must scrupulously avoid any danger of an actual or perceived conflict of interest between their Ministerial position and their private financial interests. They should be guided by the general principle that they should either dispose of the interest giving rise to the conflict or take alternative steps to prevent it.”

With the General Election just 10 days away, I hope you would agree that the public deserves urgent clarity and answers about the scale of this scandal and whether any Ministers were involved, and if a breach of the Code has occurred. 

I therefore ask you to investigate this issue as a matter of urgency.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Daisy Cooper

Deputy Leader, Liberal Democrats