A Conservative cabinet minister has revealed he placed three bets on the date of the general election weeks before Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's surprise announcement. Scottish Secretary Alister Jack admitted that in April, he successfully bet on the election date falling between July and September after losing two similar bets in March.
Mr. Jack, who is set to retire from Parliament after seven years, stated he did not break any rules. On Tuesday, he confirmed placing a £20 bet at odds of 5 to 1, potentially netting him £120. He also mentioned placing two £5 bets in March for elections in May and June, respectively.
The prime minister made the unexpected election announcement on May 22. Mr. Jack clarified, "I had no knowledge of the date of the election until the day it was called. I placed no bets in May and am not under investigation by the Gambling Commission."
A spokesperson for the Gambling Commission commented, "We are not confirming or denying the identity of any individuals involved in this investigation."
For over a year, Alister Jack has been suggesting to colleagues and journalists that a June or July election would be strategically beneficial for his party. Since 2019, he has served in the UK cabinet under Prime Ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak.
Mr. Jack's decision in 2021 to block the Scottish government’s gender self-ID reforms was a notable factor in the decline of Nicola Sturgeon’s tenure as Scotland’s First Minister. In February 2024, he expressed regret after deleting all his WhatsApp messages from the pandemic period, explaining he did so to free up storage on his phone in November 2021.
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