28
Jun
EXCLUSIVE: Harrogate Lib Dem candidate reported to Gambling Commission over allegations of election betting
Allegations of past political betting have been made against the frontrunner candidate for the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency.
The Stray Ferret has received information from a credible source claiming that Liberal Democrat Tom Gordon placed bets on the outcomes of by-elections in 2021 and 2022, using canvassing data not available to the public – and that he won money on more than one occasion as a result.
On Wednesday afternoon, we asked Mr Gordon to categorically deny that he had done so, and gave him until midday on Thursday to respond. We have still received no reply.
Our source claims that the matter has been referred to the Gambling Commission, which is currently engaged in a separate high-profile investigation into election betting offences concerning the date of the current election.
We contacted the Gambling Commission, and a spokesperson told us:
We are not confirming or denying the identity of any individuals involved in this investigation.
If someone uses confidential information in order to gain an unfair advantage when betting, this may constitute an offence of cheating under Section 42 of the Gambling Act, which is a criminal offence.
Yesterday, we contacted the Liberal Democrat press office about the matter, asking for comment.
A Liberal Democrat spokesperson said:
We have not received any communication from the Gambling Commission.
Tom Gordon has placed no bets on the general election campaign in this seat or anywhere else.
But since the allegations do not concern the current general election – they concern by-elections in 2021 and 2022 – this reply does not address the allegations directly.
So we then asked the Lib Dem press office to clarify what the party’s course of action would be if the allegations were proven to be true. We have yet to receive a response.
The allegations relate to a period when Mr Gordon is believed to have worked as a paid party worker on campaigns at three by-elections: Chesham and Amersham in June 2021, North Shropshire in December 2021, and Tiverton and Honiton in June 2022.
It is alleged that during this period Mr Gordon had access to privileged information in the form of Lib Dem canvassing data indicating that the party would unexpectedly win.
All three had been regarded as safe Conservative seats but swung dramatically and produced a series of shock wins for the Liberal Democrats.
In Chesham and Amersham, which had been held by the Conservatives ever since it was created in 1974, the Lib Dems won with a 25.2% swing, capturing 56.7% of the vote. The Guardian called the result a “stunning upset”, and the Daily Telegraph called it “historic”.
North Shropshire had been held by the Tories for 115 years, but the Liberal Democrats overturned a 22,000 majority to clinch it with a 34.2% swing.
In Tiverton and Honiton, another long-standing Tory stronghold, the Lib Dems overturned a 24,000 majority.
All three of these results rank among the biggest swings in British electoral history.
Nevertheless, they were far from foregone conclusions, and inside information would have been useful in predicting the outcomes.
The Gambling Commission’s current high-profile investigation was launched after it was revealed that some Conservative aides and MPs had placed winning bets on the timing of the general election, using privileged information.
Since then, the scandal has widened, and is understood to now involve MPs, at least one member of the Welsh Senedd, police officers and parliamentary candidates.
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