The Conservative Party’s chief data officer Nick Mason has taken a leave of absence following allegations that party members used inside information to bet on the date of the July 4 national election before it was publicly announced, Associated Press reports.
Mason becomes the fourth Conservative official under investigation by the UK’s Gambling Commission in this scandal. Two election candidates, Laura Saunders and Craig Williams, and Saunders’ husband, Tony Lee, the Conservative director of campaigning, are also being investigated. Additionally, a police bodyguard for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
This scandal, emerging just two weeks before the national election, has further damaged the Conservative Party, which is already expected to lose to the opposition Labour Party. Prime Minister Sunak expressed anger over the allegations and stated that anyone found guilty should be expelled from the party.
