'It's not North Korea': Alex Cole-Hamilton says his bets different from Tories'

Joe Sullivan

27 June 2024 at 8:08 am·2-min read

Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton placed three bets on the General Election

ALEX Cole-Hamilton has said his election bets were "just a bit of fun", and not comparable to those of several Conservative officials and MPs.

The Scottish LibDem leader has been drawn into the ongoing row over betting on the upcoming General Election.

He placed three bets on LibDem candidates in Scotland, telling journalists that all of them were for his party to win.

It is unclear which candidates Cole-Hamilton bet on. The National has contacted the Scottish LibDems for comment.

At a campaign stop on Wednesday, he told journalists that "there's not a rule against" politicians betting, and likened his wagering to betting on the Grand National.

He added: "I think that when you can't predict an election, nobody can predict an election unless you're in North Korea or Russia, then I'm not sure where the advantage is."

He went on to call bets by Conservative candidates and officials "reprehensible", continuing: "These people had information nobody else had about a sure thing, and went to the bookies on that."

Two Tory candidates have been suspended for betting on the date of the General Election.

One, Craig Williams, admitted to an "error of judgement" but denied committing an offence, while the other, Laura Saunders, threatened to sue outlets reporting on the investigation.

Additionally, Scottish secretary Alister Jack (pictured below) admitted to placing three bets - one successful - on the election date, but also insisted that he had not breached gambling rules.

Alister Jack

Two party officials have also taken leaves of absence over similar allegations.

Meanwhile, Labour were forced to suspend a candidate who bet against himself in his constituency race.

Kevin Craig said he made a "stupid error of judgement" in betting on the Tories beating him in the constituency of Central Suffolk and North Ipswich.

He is under investigation by the Gambling Commission.

Seven police officers have also been drawn into the scandal, including at least six accused of placing bets on the date of the General Election.

A spokesperson for the Met Police told The National on Monday: "We previously confirmed the arrest of a Met officer on Monday, June 17 for misconduct in public office in relation to bets placed on the timing of the General Election.

"We have, however, been passed information from the Gambling Commission alleging that five further officers have placed bets related to the timing of the election.

"The Gambling Commission continues to investigate these matters. The officers have not been arrested but the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed."

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