Oliver Dowden interviewed in election betting inquiry

The erstwhile lawman premier curate Sir Oliver Dowden was questioned by the Gambling Commission successful the aboriginal summertime implicit the alleged bets placed connected the wide predetermination day by immoderate Conservatives.

The Commission is not investigating Sir Oliver, and helium himself didn’t spot immoderate bets connected the election.

The revelations astir betting - many revealed by the BBC - rocked the Tory run for days connected end.

In a leak connected the opening time of the Conservative conference, first reported by Sky News, it was revealed Sir Oliver was among those the betting regulator spoke to arsenic portion of its inquiries.

It isn’t astonishing the Gambling Commission would person wanted to talk to the erstwhile lawman premier minister, fixed the seniority of his presumption astatine the clip wrong the authorities and the Conservative Party.

I recognize Sir Oliver’s speech with them took spot earlier the wide election. At the aforesaid time, Rishi Sunak’s erstwhile main of unit Liam, present Lord Booth-Smith, spoke to them too.

The leak, astir an interrogation that took spot astir 3 months ago, appears designed to harm the Conservative Party arsenic its members stitchery successful Birmingham for their yearly conference.

The Tories are picking implicit their colossal predetermination decision and an predetermination run seen privately by galore successful the enactment arsenic a messiness - not slightest due to the fact that of the torrent of stories astir betting.

At slightest 4 radical are being looked into by the committee successful narration to the alleged bets. The Metropolitan Police ended its investigation, aft it said the alleged offences did not conscionable the “high bar” to beryllium misconduct successful nationalist office.