Betting scandal: can Sunak’s campaign get any worse?

Ed Davey has now joined Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak scrambling to check who in their party could get caught up in the betting saga - but is this story on the scale of the expenses scandal or Partygate or is it all just a bit of juvenile stupidity?
[Subscribe: bit.ly/C4_News_Subscribe]
If it is, why are people at the heart of the UK’s biggest political parties making these kinds of decisions? And what does all this say about the election campaign?
Joining Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss all this and more on The Political Fourcast is the ConservativeHome’s Henry Hill, pollster Scarlett Maguire and senior political correspondent Paul McNamara.
Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Shaheen Sattar, Rob Thomson, Nick Jackson.
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[@dogzero1]

The Conservative's record in office... 1. Highest energy bills in Europe. 2. Highest taxes in 70 years. 3. Highest interest rates since 2008 when the rich bankers ruined the world economy. 4. Highest train fares in Europe. 5. Longest waiting lists in NHS history. 6. Raw Tory sewage pumped into rivers. 7. Lowest corporate taxes in 50 years. 8. Lowest State Pension in Europe. 9. Highest Immigration both legal and illegal ever. 10. Destroyed the NHS dentist service. 11. Brexit. 12. One failed Prime Minister after another. 13. Worlds shortest in post Prime Minister which created a financial disaster. 14. More corrupt MP's than any other party in parliament. 15. Europe's longest Austerity for the lower paid. 16. Highest Council Tax rates in the World. 17. Reduced our Armed Forces more than any other G8 country. 18. Highest number of MP's that have been arrested for sexual offences. 19. Highest number of MP's that have been sacked for corruption and Fraudulent acts. 20. Voted to allow Bankers to have unlimited bonus's even though the bankers caused the crash of 2008. 21. More libraries closed due to council cuts than any other modern country. 22. Ruined and destroyed the Train services by giving private companies tax payers money as subsidies. 23. Voted against Labours creation of the minimum wage. Then lie to voters stating they are responsible for it. 24. Wasted billions of Tax payers money on crony PPE contracts for their friends and other Tory donors. 25. Sold off 600 Police Stations. 26. Sold off our Courthouses. 27. Closed then sold our Fire Stations. 28, Failed to fix - repair our schools. 29. Cut spending on youth services. 30. Court backlog is at record levels 31. Threw 40,000 pensioners to the wolves during the first wave of the pandemic. Deliberate policy of getting and spreading covid in OAP homes. 32. Sold off our electrical grid to foreign companies. 33. Failed to build new affordable homes. 34. Wasted billions on HS2 only to then chop it. 35. Failed to close Tax Loopholes for their rich friends and donors. 36. Failed to build 40 new hospitals. They built one. 37. Failed to repair our crumbling roads. 38. Forced many councils into bankruptcy. 39. Failed to address the 4 million children living in poverty. 40. Cut spending on mental health services. 41. Privatised and sold off the nations Post Office - Gas - Water and Electricity Companies 42. Allowed BP and Shell to steal our Oil and Gas reserves whilst paying little to no taxes. (Norway has a Sovereign Wealth fund of over $1.6 trillion). 43. Sunaks failed RWANDA policy has cost approx 500m. 44. Increased the pension age. 45. Failed promise to end rough sleeping. 46. Failed promise to end Leaseholds. 47. Failed to Ban No Fault Evictions. 48. Failed to ban so-called conversion therapy. 49. Failed in their Levelling up promise. 50. Introduced Voter ID excluding thousands from voting. 51. Introduced the bedroom tax. 52. Forced disabled people to jump through hoops to claim benefits. 53. Britain now has more foodbanks than McDonalds. 54. Tried to implement fracking. 55. Failed to invest in green energy and electric vehicle recharging infrastructure. 56. Stripped the unions of their power over years making it extremely hard for the working class to start industrial action when greedy employers refuse to negotiate cost of living wage increases. 57. Failed to prepare or have sufficient PPE for a Pandemic even when it was No1 on the risk register... 58. Given free reign in Non-Dom billionaires and Media owners to cause societal division and fuel racism. 59. Promoted lunatics like Cruella, Mogg and Patel to high office. 60. Blocked the Russia report. 61. Gave us the highest diesel prices in Europe. 62. Closed and then sold off our onshore gas storage tanks to high end developers making the impact of the invasion of Ukraine worse by increasing the cost of gas. 63. Tripled the cost of University fees for students and locked them in their digs during the pandemic. 64. Grenfell. 65. Windrush. 66. Increased our National Debt to 3 Trillion. 67. Partygate. 68. G4S Prisons. 69. We are giving 8 million quid a day to landlords for migrant accommodation due to the Home Office go slow policy. 70. Little to no Border checks on goods and foods. 71. Sold the Farmers and Fishermen down the river. 72. Disgracefully breaking the law making bets on the general election date even though they already had insider information. They have no morals. 73. Sunaks disgraceful D-Day debacle. No respect for the fallen. 74. And they brag that they have increased Foodbanks 1000% since 2010 when they took over.

[@minui8758]

Thanks. Stealing this

[@williamhenry8914]

Very nice also stealing this, thanks!

[@KirstyCaddick-ne4vk]

At least they're being politically correct by being wholely inclusive in which morally corrupt minorities can represent them 🤣

[@Chris-rb8ox]

Thanks, I will steal too!

[@Salomessanctuary]

When you said there are more food banks than McDonald's, it really showed the state of our beloved country. In my area, our Community Centre also provides food ( help) for the needy.😥😢😭

[@me-xj7et]

A final nail in the coffin?? The grave diggers have filled the hole, cleaned their spades, gone home, showered and are now down the pub having a pint! 😊

[@johngalvin3124]

With Farage?

[@BardianAngel]

There's more nail than coffin at this stage

[@scottmorris8585]

Yes, I saw that photo of Fartage downing yet another pint! 🤣🤣🤣

[@user-sd3ik9rt6d]

Every memorable thing in this election is a sunak mess up.

[@lunaxquinn]

"absurd moral panic" is all the tories have left

[@oitoitoi1]

what's quite alarming is you're having media people who we rely on to hold them to account agreeing with them. the relationship between the press and the tories is far too cozy.

[@paulgibbon5991]

If you get people to fight the culture war, they won't fight the class war.

[@harrimi]

Imagine Sunak running the country going forward when he can’t manage this campaign and scandal.

[@alisonwilson9749]

We don't need to, all we need to do is look around us at the mess he and his chums have made of the country.

[@carmemdovirgens2291]

Sunaks parents were ASYLUM seekers always will be not matter what. Just because they were granted Asylum in the UK, now their SON IS A PRIME MINISTER INVOLVED IN CORRUPTION.

[@thawtvawlt6988]

Sunak became PM only because he was the wrong man in the right place at the right time. A talking robot bereft of soul. And you thought the country had hit rock bottom with Boris Johnson.

[@pammy2885]

Do.Not.Even.Go.There.

[@tl9223]

Labour can't run the country they don't have the skillset. The tories were forced to deliver a Brexit (don't moan at the downturn of it when the people voted for it), they were clobbered with covid and then hit with a European war and energy crisis. I still believe the Tories plan was the best thing for our country and they have managed to curb the cost of living crisis to a degree already. We all agree if someone like the greens magically won tomorrow they simply wouldn't have a clue we would collapse overnight-and yes it can get worse than this previous conservative term, it can get a lot worse

[@hanselmansell7555]

It's not betting if you know the result. This is not a 'flutter', It's cheating.

[@ArtyFactual_Intelligence]

For most of them it's the last flutter of an encroaching Heart Failure

[@gregorybiestek3431]

@@ArtyFactual_Intelligence For all of you complaining about your corruption in the UK, the USA Supreme Court just ruled that 40-years of laws against officials accepting money & gifts AFTER awarding lucrative contracts are now ILLEGAL. That means if any Tory moves to the USA it is now perfectly legal for a UK company to give them £100,000 as a thank-you for giving them a £10,00,000 PPE contract. Don’t you just love crony capitalism?

[@noahvale110]

If the bookies are stupid enough to lay these types of bets then that is their problem. The bookies hate to pay out winning bets and complain to the Gambling Commission over their own incompetence. They are just another company that want to protect their bottom line and there is no doubt individuals are profiting from leaking this information as well.

[@bearwoody]

Rishi approached this as if it was a corporate issue. Government is NOT a business, it's public service.

[@grahampeters7297]

£2000 is a fortune to me. It just makes it worse that to them it's peanuts or a flutter.

[@jed641]

was it £2k! i thought it was £200 which is still too much obviously. i thought it was £2.5k total between all the money put on

[@tombuck6799]

i am so disappointed with Krishnan who i always thought was objective with the GE media mayhem but this discussion totally missed the point about the gambling debate. The tories involved were allegedly guilty of criminally illegal insider knowledge. the labour politicians betting is completely different and not comparative.

[@calumwhyte262]

The labour guy betting against himself, is more Criminal given his direct involvement in the outcome…. Likely the only one who gets charged.

[@stephenlee5929]

In most forms of gambling, it is considered wrong to bet against yourself (ie to bet that you will lose). In general this position is because it is easier to 'Throw' the game than to win it. On the other hand, it is normally considered prudent to take out insurance, which is equivalent of betting against your own interests. I think in this instance it would be unlikely the bet is/could be big enough to make 'Throwing the fight' worth it, given the prize for winning (that is a salary of £91,346 for 4/5 years). In this instance I think & would suggest the guy was stupid/naïve, but not corrupt. This is different to betting on something where you have inside knowledge of something, I agree people are conflating these, wrongly.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

@@stephenlee5929 For all of you complaining about your corruption in the UK, the USA Supreme Court just ruled that 40-years of laws against officials accepting money & gifts AFTER awarding lucrative contracts are now ILLEGAL. That means if any Tory moves to the USA it is now perfectly legal for a UK company to give them £100,000 as a thank-you for giving them a £10,00,000 PPE contract. Don’t you just love crony capitalism?

[@stephenlee5929]

@@gregorybiestek3431 When did I complain?

[@gregorybiestek3431]

@@stephenlee5929 LOL! OK, since 90% of the people posting seemed to be complaining, I thought everyone would like to know how much worse it is getting across the pond.

[@williamhenry8914]

People have put up with tory sleaze scandal after tory sleaze scandal for years. This is not moral panic. This is long, long overdue realignment with reality.

[@jandavies4400]

So vote Reform UK 🇬🇧

[@williamhenry8914]

@@jandavies4400 I'll never vote for that Kremlin loving filth. Nigel 'Putin's buttboy' Farage.

[@paulgibbon5991]

@@jandavies4400 I'd rather keep Putin's poodles out of politics, thanks.

[@jandavies4400]

@@paulgibbon5991 Starmer investigated at the age of 23 for ties with the Kremlin

[@auroraalpha34]

​@jandavies4400 ahh yes, I'm for the party that failed to vet its own MPs for Nazis

[@adrianbaron4994]

What has enraged the public is surely not just the fact that several Tories seem to have used very privileged insider information to place bets, but that these same people are already on lavish salaries but think it is perfectly OK to make even more money for themselves on the side. And it's the same Tories who harangue those of us who have to choose whether to heat or eat, that they should " work harder or get a better job or get a second job". It is the spitting in the face of the rest of us that has made people livid with rage and it is those people who will sweep this corrupt and self-serving shower out on 4th July.

[@ArtyFactual_Intelligence]

Last chance to put snouts in the trough. That makes it more disgusting.

[@user-lh9ei6he1h]

What you say I think artulates perfectly the feelings of many in this country.

[@lcg8220]

How is it 'disproportionately' effecting the tories? All but one of the people implicated is a tory, if anything its disproportionately effecting the other parties.

[@alisonwilson9749]

"is it all just a bit of juvenile stupidity? " NO. Anyone betting when they KNEW the date was breaking the law.

[@keithhealing1115]

When people say "They all lie" what they are really saying is "the Tories put in place a man already sacked twice for lying as their leader, who oversaw a culture of lying and failed governance, who was sacked AGAIN for lying - and I liked him."

[@paulgibbon5991]

One long-term piece of damage the Tories have done is eroded trust in politicians and encouraged aimless cynicsm. That's not a good thing, it makes a country vulnerable to extremists and populists who pretend they're "not like other politicians".

[@rosemarycuthbert4623]

Tory crony contracts ?? Dido Harding? Where is she ?

[@Setinmywaysalways]

In the Maldives!

[@OneEyedWheeler]

@@Setinmywaysalways in the Maldives, under a carpet. There is little worse than a Tory in politics, although right now they’re holding the beers of the Reform Party’s candidates.

[@davidevans3366]

"An important distinction between betting and gambling is that in gambling, the stakes or wager is placed on an event without any clue of the outcome; whereas, in betting the stakes are placed on an event, the outcome of which is based on the performance of the players, influenced by their skill." This is neither gambling or betting as the outcome or "date" was known to the person/people prior to the 'Bet' being placed. Therefore 'Fraud' is the word I would use as they had prior knowledge of the outcome it would seem? The Labour candidate is silly for doing so but in my opinion technically done nothing wrong. Way things are going he might lose his bet but get a seat in Parliament!!

[@ArtyFactual_Intelligence]

Spot on. Rarely mentioned like this.

[@Veni_Vidi_Vortice]

I tried to place a bet that the Conservatives will lose the election, but the bookies just laughed at me so I spent the money at my local pub instead. Result!

[@danielbliss1988]

you should have bet on a spread. Let's say, Tories to lose by at least 18 points.

[@robertboyle3838]

Feels like everyone has forgotten thst it was only afew weeks ago that Sunak was on TV making bets on politics with Piers Morgan

[@stephenhill545]

One more week of the media trying to save the Tories. Still 20 points ahead.

[@jsd8981]

The vile corruption of the tory's, becomes even more vile and corrupt when they try to defend it....

[@lp40]

They don’t know why committing a crime is wrong.

[@johnboxall2773]

We will all vote these thieves out next week forever.

[@oitoitoi1]

It's not a moral panic when these same people can inside trade on knowledge of government policy and government contracts. There needs to be an extensive investigation into whether this has been happening, which given their behaviour with the VIP lane for covid contracts, it probably has.

[@hypsyzygy506]

It's not a moral panic when it's criminal behaviour.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

@@hypsyzygy506 For all of you complaining about your corruption in the UK, the USA Supreme Court just ruled that 40-years of laws against officials accepting money & gifts AFTER awarding lucrative contracts are now ILLEGAL. That means if any Tory moves to the USA it is now perfectly legal for a UK company to give them £100,000 as a thank-you for giving them a £10,00,000 PPE contract. Don’t you just love crony capitalism?

[@rosemarycuthbert4623]

The vile corruption of the Tories over recent years is even more vile and obscene. Unchallenged

[@Clare0116]

Both the Cons and Labour are controlled by their WEF masters to deliberately bankrupt and destroy our Country!

[@michaelathanasiou2030]

Look at the vile smile on this immigrants face ( just think Starmer ie planning to bring over many more millions.) LOL

[@Keithlfpieterse]

@rosemarycuthbert4623: Impunity rules! How much lower can we go as a species? Even lions on the savannah in the Serengeti "correct" each other's behaviour and punishment is dealt out accordingly! We are lower than the beasts of the earth! SO SAD! We should be ashamed of who we are and what we have become! Enough.

[@jandavies4400]

Totally agree with you trouble is labour are not much better

[@Keithlfpieterse]

@@jandavies4400 : HEAR! HEAR!

[@dextercool]

Tories' mantra was ever thus: insider knowledge of elections? Why not make a few bob out of it! Brexit? Why not make a few bob out of it! Covid? Why not make a few bob out of it!

[@ArtyFactual_Intelligence]

And Farage... Immigration?? Why not make a few new fascists out of it....

[@gregorybiestek3431]

For all of you complaining about your corruption in the UK, the USA Supreme Court just ruled that 40-years of laws against officials accepting money & gifts AFTER awarding lucrative contracts are now ILLEGAL. That means if any Tory moves to the USA it is now perfectly legal for a UK company to give them £100,000 as a thank-you for giving them a £10,00,000 PPE contract. Don’t you just love crony capitalism?

[@redlightmax]

​@@gregorybiestek3431 "Don’t you just love crony capitalism?" Or, as I call it, capitalism.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

@@redlightmax Not really. At least in Canada and much of Europe, capitalism is regulated and restrained to ensure that the workers get benefits which they have none in the USA - like paid time off and healthcare.

[@jackdubz4247]

And the gaslighting that comes with it: It's not their fault that they do it, it's our fault that we let them away with doing it.

[@kapitankapital6580]

This is definitely the best of those "newspaper/news outlet does a podcast" shows that seem to have taken over my feed since the election started. I think a lot of that comes down to Krishnan Guru-Murthy's excellent group management - it seems effortless but he's always presenting counter-arguments, prompts and encouraging guests to speak in a way that doesn't get them too defensive or partisan. Good stuff.

[@JayThandi]

This discussion is slightly stupid. How long was Ivan Toney’s betting scandal in the media - he’s a footballer. These MPs should be held to a higher standard than a footballer! They also raise questions about Labour on taxation, which has been overshadowed by this scandal but what about Tory policy? They can’t provide further unfunded tax cuts. National debt is astronomical which needs to be reduced, whilst we need more investment in public services. Tories have left the country in a shambolic state, but these lot are focussed on questioning labour policies which seems odd to me

[@johngalvin3124]

Nobody knows how big this scandal may be. For all we know, the disgusting Tory gamblers may have had mates putting on bets all over the country. Nice here, isnt it?

[@johnbennett9630]

Anybody saying this is about "betting" is just another tory shill. The outcry is about people with privileged insider knowledge using it to make a personal profit. Don't investigate other bets - investigate what these crooks did with the other insider knowledge they gained. What shares did they buy - and when? How many shared in the spoils of the PPE scandal by those means?

[@LordBillington42]

It says a lot when the list of things experts reckon will shape people's vote have nothing to do with policy or governing... Welcome to the full entabloidification of life in the UK.

[@GaryS-gi9fk]

Exactly!

[@EdwardLindon]

You must be joking. Voters have rarely responded to the real implications of policy. Otherwise, why on earth would millions of working class people keep electing Tories to strip away public services and national wealth in order to hand it over to the rich and powerful?

[@Keithlfpieterse]

Two thousand years ago bets were placed in the Colliseum in Rome by members of the Senate while watching lions consume gladiators. Today I am watching an item on the Tory "Bettingate!" My God, how much lower can we go? The tiny little little humanist in me asks the simple question: "When will politicians address the BASIC HUMAN NEEDS of the population over which they hold sway?" It is normally met with a deafening silence! Oh dear! Time for a cuppa! I hope that the UK does not move to the right. Here in The Netherlands where we soon will have an extreme right-wing government I feel fear, anger, bitterness and try to understand why it is that people are so hellbent on self destruction e.g. Brexit!

[@rohankurian5641]

Thank you for your service 🗽🗽🗽 Now lets see what FordNation , Pierre Poilievre & Chrystia Freeland were hiding about denying #covid #benefits to exploited workers Goodfood and #Amazon in their own 2 tierd justice system over the last 5 years!! Never forget the below points - 1. Greenbelt Scam - 8.3 Billion dollars. No arrests. 2. Ontario place #Scam - 1 billion$ +. No arrests. 3. #Ontario #Science Center #Scam - 1 billion$ plus. 4. University #suicides cover up linked to Immigration & human trafficking. 5. Unethicial surveillance by #Ford at hospitals during & after #Covid. 6. Old #folks died during #covid under dougs leadership. 7. Labour-trafficking in the #Ontario Supply Chain over the last 5 years..Women were targeted & assaulted..and #ford turned a blind eye. 8. Illegal access to #citizen bank accounts through #Scotiabank by #fords cronies. 9. Ontario teachers #Pension #fund scam - 95 million$ swindled - No one got arrested. 10. What was that again about trying to murder whistleblowers & witnesses under #Fords leadership?? 11. Doug snow-mobiled during a terrorist attack on #ottawa..He took a vacation when GOOD cops were being attacked. 12. Ford did a snow grave digging photo-op instead of feeding humans who were Dying. 13. #FraudFest over the years and using public services for his own private parties & jiffy #lube excursions 14. Insider trading by #billionaire Neil Cuggy , #freeland knew and did #NOTHING 15. AND thats just the tip of the ice-berg on dougs #Titanic 5 years

[@Hartley_Hare]

We hate other people and we hate each other. It's not a happy place.

[@Aegmog]

The pendulum will swing. I'm not sure how much longer England can endure the extreme left.

[@Keithlfpieterse]

@@Hartley_Hare : Looking at it from a nature-nurture perspective, methinks that hate is not in your DNA. It has been instilled in you since your primary socialisation phase. If not, I look forward to your response.

[@Hartley_Hare]

@@KeithlfpieterseIt's a hateful country. Hate is part of what it does.

[@shaunbarnett5081]

What a good panel of guests. So nice to listen to a debate where people are not shouting over each other.

[@councellingthecouncillors]

The whole mechanism we have invested 100 years in has been severely fractured by the behaviour of self serving parliamentarians, it is now a daily expectation that some MP's will be found to have acted in a way that provides for themselves and not for the public.

[@jamesprivet]

Exactly

[@EthanZoid]

What a joke. You wouldn’t be allowed to bet in sports game you play. You wouldn’t be allowed to bet on the company you work for if you had a crucial determining role. Why do politicians think they are so different.

[@markchapman2933]

In horse racing it is only jockeys who are not allowed to bet. Trainers can bet on their own horses to win, but not on their own horses to lose.

[@AH-te5gs]

The betting scandal is simply relevant because it attests to two different worlds, one in which politicians appear to be not taking problems of their constituents seriously and only interested in getting into power.

[@sbrown314]

The heat map of bets placed over time very clearly indicates a sudden and large surge in GE bets placed in the hours before the official announcement. Very obvious that 'insider trading' went on. Maybe hard to pin it on anyone.

[@markchapman2933]

In any betting market it is only natural there is a spike on the last day or two before the bet becomes invalid. ie As the bloke here (on the right) explained. The spike only came shortly before it would've been impossible for Sunak to call a July election. Just as any bet of this type would see such a spike without necessarily any "insider trading".

[@hughfawcett4333]

All goes back to people not being punished for the bogus expense claims. Its a corrupt body

[@jonathanfell688]

Put the once Head of the Crown Prosecution Service in charge.

[@johnclamp1535]

I find the normalization of gambling a bit shocking personally. It used to be frowned on and rightly so as it ruins people’s lives. Since then the corporates have spent millions promoting it as a normal ‘bit of fun’. It isn’t.

[@markchapman2933]

Yep, just as having a pint down the local can "ruin lives", maybe we should not promote pubs as a "bit of fun" either.

[@robhenley8408]

Westminster needs to go and a new Parliament built. Voting needs to be changed to a fairer system and "integrity, professionalism, and accountability " need barracuda teeth , so , do the deed , suffer the consequences.

[@jandavies4400]

Yeah, and put the Parliament in the Midlands, notin London

[@user-nc4od4pm8q]

The idea that Starmer would have been fine with a candidate betting against themself is ridiculous. It's wrong on it's face. Do the players on a sports team bet against their team? And on the rare occasion they do, we automatically assume they are cheating by throwing the game.

[@donttrip8282]

Tory party is like a plane on fire in a tail spin with one wing and no tail. Never seen anything like it... 🍿

[@ArtyFactual_Intelligence]

And a pilot who has a parachute with a California Target already on it.

[@problemsolverthinktank859]

How many bet on the stock market, cronie contracts and insider trading. We need to look deeper

[@jonathaneffemey944]

Thanks for posting

[@CymonJCox]

The problem is not what you say it is, the problem is politcal corruption. Plain and smple. Why are you not covering for these people? It is clear cut...

[@Dude-etiquette]

Amazing that football players are held to a higher standard. No betting on any football matches. Easy

[@thawtvawlt6988]

1:13 "...is it another final nail in the conservative coffin..". Another final nail? By definition, only one nail can be described as final! We live in strange times when Englishmen have to be taught English.

[@user-lh9ei6he1h]

Pedantic, But I Like IT. Maybe should have said final COFFIN.

[@paulgibbon5991]

The first coffin has been put inside another coffin.

[@user-lh9ei6he1h]

@@paulgibbon5991 you mean like Russian Coffins. With the final coffin holding little Rishi? Blimey I sense an opportunity here!

[@EdwardLindon]

But until the actual final nail, it's in principle impossible to determine which nail will be the final one, so from the observer's indeterminate viewpoint, each successive nail is potentially the final nail.

[@user-lh9ei6he1h]

NO MORE NAILS would surely determine the outcome? Yes , I know, it's late.

[@captainchuppachup]

Conservative pundit things things are blown out of proportion. Call me shocked!

[@garygalt4146]

Lost shilling on the grand national 1977. Broke my heart I had wasted a whole shilling

[@ArtyFactual_Intelligence]

I don't gamble. Missed an instinctive flutter on WHAT A NUISANCE at 20/1 in the mid 1980s Melbourne Cup. Lucky for me I didn't place the bet. Would have subsequently lost my everything.

[@Setinmywaysalways]

Alistair Jack, the new Vermin in Ermine making a Joke about winning over £2000

[@rjy8960]

Looking forward to your coverage on the evening of the 4th. I'll be staying up all night, basking in the sweet smell of bitter Tory tears. Really great line-up for the festivities. I wonder if Nadine can sell you off before the 4th? lol.

[@tr3vk4m]

The only thing worse than the Tories is Reform. They appeal to the easily scared.

[@richtucker6083]

What do you even mean by that? Reform want to take a tough stance. How on earth is that easily scared?

[@SlowhandGreg]

@@richtucker6083 There a bunch of Fash wannabees

[@richardmerriman4347]

​@@richtucker6083led by a millionaire grifter,swapping like for like

[@Aegmog]

@@richtucker6083 don't look for logic when conversing with the left. You will find none.

[@uncleants]

There is nothing wrong with placing a bet on an election even for politicians. There is something seriously wrong with placing a bet WHEN YOU KNOW THE OUTCOME!! What is bad for democracy is the total obsession of the media with the issue when there are real issues to discuss and (apparently) real policies to scrutinise, If anything what it shows is how the media are completely unfit for the job they are supposed to perform.

[@glyndavies5479]

So its also OK for a sportsman to place a bet on the outcome of a match they are playing on then?

[@uncleants]

@@glyndavies5479 if they bet to lose its wrong because while a win is uncertain it's feasible you could throw the match.. Sorry i should have been clearer. betting on an outcome you know is seriously wrong. betting that you will lose also.

[@markchapman2933]

Spot on.

[@musicman5075]

Haha "Maybe you have to have poor judgement to become an MP" well that's reassuring.

[@charleswillcock3235]

What people should be concerned about are HS2 and the billions wasted on that. PPE billions wasted on that. A total failure to manage immigration and welfare spending .The highly likely collapse of the vehicle industry in the UK as we transition to EVs. Yet all people see is incompetence and corruption.

[@hypsyzygy506]

Don't forget nastiness. Brexit, HS2, PPE, Covid care homes, party gate, immigration, austerity... - all have their roots in corruption, incompetence and nastiness.

[@profdrrameshkumarbiswas1337]

Why bet? It’s weird! Only in Britain!

[@kennethvenezia4400]

Disgusting! I BET it will cost more tory seats. Anybody know the odds?😂

[@user-ex1hj1vv1m]

I cannot believe that woman keep using her hands to cover an embarrassingly short skirt has she no shame 😳

[@TruthWillOut-hb9vc]

There's a massive difference between a bet based on your own calculation and a bet placed on inside information. The first is completely legal, the latter is insider dealing and a criminal offence. STOP conflating the two

[@SilverHalsen]

If it was labour mps there's no way this guy would be saying its just an absurd moral panic.

[@jamendya]

Their behaviour seems senseless as we lack a clear forward strategy. Instead of focusing on meaningful discussions, they are fixated on individuals and their issues with gambling bets.

[@ponypong261]

It's not the tories that should be annoyed. It's the rest of us that are "annoyed".... Politicians....the dirtiest word in the English language .

[@jamesbunyan9781]

It is telling you that you have entered infantilism.

[@malcolm8564]

On Question Time I saw Stephen Flynn ask Yvette Cooper what GB Energy was going to do and she had no idea.

[@andrewjones-productions]

"Gamblegate is dominating the headlines". Well, there is something good that is coming of it then as anything that dominates the headlines and keeps Fanatical Fantasist Farage from doing so, is a very good thing!

[@ELSIEMacPhee-kx9vg]

An MP betting on the general election is exactly the same as a footballer, jockey or any sports person betting on their own sports for which they are severely punished. So it's only right these politicians are punished.

[@charleswillcock3235]

It is a toss up between is, Rishi Sunak the worst Prime Minister ever and Liz Truss. Hard to say. The fact that this question even arises says a lot about Rishi and is total lack of leadership skills.

[@hypsyzygy506]

Boяis "Let the Bodies Pile High" was pretty awful too.

[@charleswillcock3235]

@@hypsyzygy506 You are correct that was not a well thought through statement. Pretty depressing.

[@markchapman2933]

Does it? Maybe Rishi is just not someone who jumps to conclusions about whether someone has done wrong and wants to hear the evidence first. Lizz Truss a certainty to win that particular race, although she'd have been nothing to what Corbyn would've subjected us to.

[@tazzie2shoos]

Shame Mr ed Davey wasn't 'more hard line' about the post office scandal, he was PO Minister at the time and refused to help.........

[@Clubberdude-sp1gw]

The tories will get about 150 seats (unfortunately), Labour around 400, Greens up to 5, Reform 1 or 2. Divvy up the rest between the other parties (LibDem, Plaid, SNP, Northern Ireland* parties etc). * Sinn Fein may make a gain or 2 in Northern Ireland.

[@jimmi831]

People are angry at what the newspapers tell them to be angry at. This countrybis an embarssment.

[@paulavandenbroeck1333]

I'm shocked! Shocked to find that gambling is going on in here.

[@davidsmith8921]

Point One : Gambling is a problem in the UK (just watch your own documentaries). Trivializing it while mocking others for their juvenile stupidity, is that really a good look? Point Two : Politicians should be held to a higher moral code than other people. Why is this already sanctionable for footballers and for police officers, but only up for review for politicians? Point Three : Yes, journalists are partly responsible for this story drowning out actual news. Greens, Lib Dems, Independents increased their councils and councillors in May's local elections, proving they are actual political parties with actual support. Yet, you choose to focus on Reform (with a grand total of 2 councillors).

[@paulgibbon5991]

Reform's getting a lot of free publicity from obvious bot accounts, with the same writing style as Russian troll farms serfs.

[@petervousden691]

I really like this show. Krishnan is a breath of fresh air. He will have a great broadcasting career

[@redlightmax]

"Can Rishi Sunak’s campaign get any worse?" Hey, there's still the weekend.

[@malcolm8564]

It isn't about betting, it's about abuse of inside information, dishonest behaviour by MPs, ministers and civil service employees and the lords and ladies including lockdown parties, PPE, covid cash, care agency ownership and immigration rules. And I'm sure we don't know the half of what goes on.

[@christiangedet8888]

Excluding national lottery, only 27% of Uk participated in gambling in the last week (48% if you include NL) I dont think that qualifies as a "nation of gamblers".

[@user-zc4yd9ss7h]

Can it get worse? Probably.

[@nodwick4231]

i still think that there should be a "bonus" for any offence that is done when the perpetrator does that when abusing their public office. Probably the usual penalty plus a flat 10 years in prison extra (that cannot be reduced in any way).

[@gaz9957]

It isn't betting though is it? It's theft. Little bit of trivia, the word 'tory' comes from the Irish word for 'outlaw' or 'bandit'. On brand.

[@markchapman2933]

It is only theft if they knew the date of the election. If all they knew was a July election was possible and therefore they thought the odds available were value / a good bet - then they may not have done anything legally wrong. Whereas betting on yourself to lose is definitely wrong.

[@JamesConsidine]

"not the gambling"?! It's straight up is the gambling, because it's tantamount to insider trading

[@krispysox]

Krishnan rocking the jeans/grandad shirt combo ❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥🤭

[@nooshoff]

Nice hearing ppl not screaming 😊

[@jamesnunn7181]

Feels a bit of a distraction considering there’s a GE on the way. Faaaar more in-depth and important things to be discussed

[@kevinhay3778]

You are demeaning the situation.

[@andydudley1775]

well we only have to wait a few minutes.i can imagine a copper saying i only asked for money saving a tip from a tory .under caution.

[@user-cf3cr8ki7e]

The Bad omen of Rishi sunak strikes The Junk party(The Notorious Tories) again

[@tonysutcliffe5032]

Betting! Try looking into the insider trading in Westminster and Whitehall.

[@godstonebenefice]

It is not gambling when you are placing a "bet" when you know with certainty what is going to happen. This is a crime and, if it can be evidenced, it can be prosecuted. More of a grey area is where there is no certainty but the individual can influence the outcome. Someone competing in a sport who bets on themself to win will behave in a consistent way - they will want to win the race/match and they will want to win the bet. Someone competing in a sport where they bet against themself then has mixed motives - they may throw the race/match in order to win the bet. A politician betting on themself to lose also has mixed motives, and may be betting this way because they have given up but this is not public knowledge - it also potentially insider betting. The safe thing to do for politicians is to avoid grey areas wherever possible.

[@Captain_Aardvark]

Starts at 0:40

[@markchapman2933]

These are journalists who are ignorant about gambling.

[@markchapman2933]

Is this really more about how the media and a section of the public see gambling as a whole? The anti-gambling lobby.

[@tau3457]

Interwsting that all 4 of the panel are gamblers. It's amazing how entrenched and normalised it became over the past 25 years. In the 90s you were seen as a degenerate if you admitted to it.

[@markchapman2933]

Well here's a "degenerate" who makes "loads of money" gambling.

[@chaz32]

So this partially cooked egg tells us its a "moral panic". Great, thanks.

[@pennyyoung2291]

I think you are wrong, saying that the Labour candidate, betting against himself would be ok at another time. It would be wrong at any time as he is involved. What if he deliberately involved himself in a scandal, or a crime before the vote?🌷

[@jsd8981]

I suspect there is more to this and more scansle to come...

[@drmodestoesq]

Speaking of wagering, I'm betting on the Lib Dems to get more than 66 seats. Because I'm assuming if people are not going to vote Labour or Con then they're going to vote Vanilla.

[@Simon-zb6fp]

Don't forget Sir Philip Davies

[@aarondunn6759]

I disagree that if the Labour party found out that a candidate put a bet on himself to lose, that the party wouldn't have reacted.

[@hughcaskey9542]

Lots of people have placed bets on an early election including myself no date named are you accusing me of commiting a crime ???

[@jonathankennedy1715]

We got rid of Abu Clawhammer and let in 500,000 dont-know-who-they-are's 😮😬 high security risk.

[@Spaceman-jk5fb]

Abu Clawhammer 😂