Christopher Hope
Guest Reporter
A Labour candidate at the last election who was suspended by the party after admitting placing a bet on himself to lose as been cleared by the gambling regulator.
Kevin Craig has now drawn up a draft law - the 'Gambling on Elections Bill' - which would ban any candidate from betting on the outcomes of elections.
Craig - a long standing donor to Labour which returned £100,000 in donations to him after the news broke - said he has also now been readmitted to the party.
In an interview to be broadcast on Chopper's Political Podcast later this week, Craig disclosed that he had gambled £800 on himself losing the seat to the Conservatives, offering him a potential £400 win.
The Gambling Commission became aware of Craig's bet after it investigated other bets allegedly placed on the date of the election by Conservative insiders.
It then informed the Labour party which in turn suspended him and said it would return thousands of pounds of his donations.
However the Commission has now informed Craig that it has closed its investigation and told him that "no further action" will be taken.
In an email to Craig, seen by GB News, the Commission said: "Following investigation, and having considered your representations, the Commission does not consider there is sufficient evidence to meet the full code test for prosecution under section 42 of the [Gambling Act 2005] and therefore we are closing our investigation with no further action."
Craig said that he had now written to Sir Keir Starmer with a proposed draft law to ban candidates from betting on politics.
He said: "I don't want any candidate, whether they are Labour, Reform, Tory, SNP, Lib Dem ever to have their campaign killed off by a letter of accusation from the Gambling Commission that is subsequently proven to have no grounds."
In his first broadcast interview since he was suspended, Craig told GB News' Chopper's Political Podcast of his shock when the Gambling Commission first got in contact about the bet he had placed with bookmaker William Hill nine days before the July 4 general election.
Labour suspended him as the candidate Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, a safe Conservative seat previously held by Tory MP Poulter, which he had a chance of winning.
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Craig said he had always gambled placing as many as 200 bets a year.
He said: "I'm somebody who grew up in a background where having a flutter and betting was very normal.
"So my whole life I grew up betting on horses, football, greyhounds, big, important institutions in our country. Done it all my life."
His bet "wasn't for my own financial gain. I do of course still live in the real world. I recognize to some people that's a tremendous amount of money.
"I don't lose sight of that. But it wasn't for personal gain, and it was about softening the blow [of he had lost to the Conservatives]."
Craig said he was "really sorry" for the activists in Suffolk who had campaigned to help him overturn a 20,000 Tory majority in the seat.
He said: "They know that I am so sorry about this happened, and I hope that in future years I won't be thinking about it as I have done every single day since late June.
He added: "I think one of the things I've always tried to have in business and in politics, which at times perhaps in people is lacking, is self-awareness.
"And I absolutely understand because ultimately had I not had any bets in this election, then none of this would have happened. It doesn't matter that I didn't do anything illegal.
"It doesn't matter that I've been totally exonerated. It doesn't matter that I didn't do anything for personal gain. I have to take responsibility."
A Gambling Commission spokesman told GB News: “This is part of an ongoing investigation so we are unable to comment further at this time.
"As an independent regulator, where the Commission becomes aware of potential offences under the Gambling Act it will take appropriate action.
"The Commission has powers to investigate and prosecute offences under the Gambling Act 2005."The Commission will always be guided by its statutory duties and pursue those without fear or favour regardless of any public commentary.”
The Labour party declined comment. However, a Labour source confirmed that Craig’s suspension as a party member had been lifted.
Listen to the full interview with Kevin Craig on Chopper/'s Political Podcast from this Friday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Find Out More...
Kevin Craig has now drawn up a draft law - the 'Gambling on Elections Bill' - which would ban any candidate from betting on the outcomes of elections.
Craig - a long standing donor to Labour which returned £100,000 in donations to him after the news broke - said he has also now been readmitted to the party.
In an interview to be broadcast on Chopper's Political Podcast later this week, Craig disclosed that he had gambled £800 on himself losing the seat to the Conservatives, offering him a potential £400 win.
The Gambling Commission became aware of Craig's bet after it investigated other bets allegedly placed on the date of the election by Conservative insiders.
It then informed the Labour party which in turn suspended him and said it would return thousands of pounds of his donations.
However the Commission has now informed Craig that it has closed its investigation and told him that "no further action" will be taken.
In an email to Craig, seen by GB News, the Commission said: "Following investigation, and having considered your representations, the Commission does not consider there is sufficient evidence to meet the full code test for prosecution under section 42 of the [Gambling Act 2005] and therefore we are closing our investigation with no further action."
Craig said that he had now written to Sir Keir Starmer with a proposed draft law to ban candidates from betting on politics.
He said: "I don't want any candidate, whether they are Labour, Reform, Tory, SNP, Lib Dem ever to have their campaign killed off by a letter of accusation from the Gambling Commission that is subsequently proven to have no grounds."
In his first broadcast interview since he was suspended, Craig told GB News' Chopper's Political Podcast of his shock when the Gambling Commission first got in contact about the bet he had placed with bookmaker William Hill nine days before the July 4 general election.
Labour suspended him as the candidate Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, a safe Conservative seat previously held by Tory MP Poulter, which he had a chance of winning.
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Craig said he had always gambled placing as many as 200 bets a year.
He said: "I'm somebody who grew up in a background where having a flutter and betting was very normal.
"So my whole life I grew up betting on horses, football, greyhounds, big, important institutions in our country. Done it all my life."
His bet "wasn't for my own financial gain. I do of course still live in the real world. I recognize to some people that's a tremendous amount of money.
"I don't lose sight of that. But it wasn't for personal gain, and it was about softening the blow [of he had lost to the Conservatives]."
Craig said he was "really sorry" for the activists in Suffolk who had campaigned to help him overturn a 20,000 Tory majority in the seat.
He said: "They know that I am so sorry about this happened, and I hope that in future years I won't be thinking about it as I have done every single day since late June.
He added: "I think one of the things I've always tried to have in business and in politics, which at times perhaps in people is lacking, is self-awareness.
"And I absolutely understand because ultimately had I not had any bets in this election, then none of this would have happened. It doesn't matter that I didn't do anything illegal.
"It doesn't matter that I've been totally exonerated. It doesn't matter that I didn't do anything for personal gain. I have to take responsibility."
A Gambling Commission spokesman told GB News: “This is part of an ongoing investigation so we are unable to comment further at this time.
"As an independent regulator, where the Commission becomes aware of potential offences under the Gambling Act it will take appropriate action.
"The Commission has powers to investigate and prosecute offences under the Gambling Act 2005."The Commission will always be guided by its statutory duties and pursue those without fear or favour regardless of any public commentary.”
The Labour party declined comment. However, a Labour source confirmed that Craig’s suspension as a party member had been lifted.
Listen to the full interview with Kevin Craig on Chopper/'s Political Podcast from this Friday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Find Out More...