Wes Streeting: I won bet on Sajid Javid becoming health secretary

Wes Streeting has revealed that he has previously placed a political bet, winning a wager on Sajid Javid becoming health secretary in 2021, as the gambling scandal engulfs Westminster.

His comments came after Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said he placed a bet on the outcome of the 2010 election.

Speaking to ITV, Mr Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said: “I have not bet on this election. I did once successfully bet on Sajid Javid being the next health secretary. Yes, that’s the extent.”

Asked whether he had inside knowledge of Mr Javid’s appointment, he said: “No I most certainly didn’t. What I did do was an educated guess that Boris Johnson hated reshuffles. Sajid Javid was sat on the back, and therefore I was successful on that occasion.”

Mr Streeting was a junior member of Sir Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet when Mr Javid took the role in June 2021.

Meanwhile, Sir Ed revealed that he had put a wager on how his party would perform in the 2010 election, which saw it enter a coalition government with the Tories.

Speaking during a campaign visit to Chelmsford, he said he had placed two wagers on previous elections but had never bet on himself. He also said an independent review of the regulations around gambling and politics should be carried out.

Sir Ed told ITV: “I’ve never placed a bet on myself in any election, and I don’t think we should. I think that’s one of the things that would go into this review that we’re calling for. Some people might have thought it was OK to do that. They need greater clarification – they need to be told: ‘No, you can’t do that.’”

Asked about his own bets, he added: “The one I can remember, because I got very excited, was in 2010 when I thought we were going to win more seats than we did and I lost my bet.

“I think lots of people would have placed bets on that sort of thing. I had no insider knowledge, I could see the polls like everyone else could see the polls, and I got it wrong.”

The Liberal Democrats won 57 seats in 2010, down from the 62 they secured in 2005. The party held the balance of power in a hung Parliament and stayed in coalition with the Conservatives for the next five years, with Sir Ed serving as energy secretary for three.

The Lib Dem leader also revealed that he had successfully bet on his party winning the 2021 North Shropshire by-election, sparked by the resignation of Owen Paterson, the ex-Tory minister.

Alex Cole-Hamilton, the party’s leader in Scotland, admitted on Wednesday that he had placed “flutters” on the outcomes of races in the general election. He said he had placed small bets in a number of seats, but that doing so was “showing confidence in his friends”.

Speaking during a campaign stop at Edinburgh Zoo, he said his wagers were distinct from the wider scandal because he did not have any insider information, adding: “You can’t predict the outcomes of elections – it’s never a sure thing.”