Suffolk Labour candidate suspended for betting hopes possible politician gambling ban will restore public trust
Kevin Craig was suspended by the Labour Party for placing a bet on himself to lose
Last updated 4th Dec 2024
A Labour candidate from Suffolk who was suspended for betting against himself in the General Election is calling for politicians to be banned from gambling on elections.
Kevin Craig was running to become MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich when the Labour Party took away his membership for placing a bet on himself to lose.
The Gambling Commission's now cleared him of any wrongdoing and he's been reinstated to the Labour Party.
He's now calling for a ban on politicians gambling on elections, saying it would help restore the public's trust in politicians and stop others suffering like he did: "I don't want any political candidate in the future to be vulnerable to my experience.
"I got a letter alleging something and was unable to answer it during the white heat of an election campaign."
"That day is one of the worst days in the last 10 years of my life"
Kevin explained why he placed a bet in the first place, explaining that he had no ill intentions, and that, growing up in a working-class family, betting was normal and frequent: "I did it a few weeks before the election.
"I was so passionate about winning, I said to myself: 'If you lose, you're going to be gutted'.
"I put this bet on with the intention if the worst happened... and said I would give the winnings to charities in the area."
"I was gutted and devastated"
He remembers the moment he found out he was being investigated: "I found out because I had a phone call from the Labour Party.
"I hadn't even seen the e-mail. It was that quick from the Gambling Commission...
"My legs nearly fell away from under me and I went into a state of shock. It was terrible...
"As somebody who cares about our country, its traditions about law and order, about trying to do the right thing - I was gutted and devastated.
"It wasn't just for me either, more for my local Labour Party and all the people I've met who were actually really enthusiastic about what was about to possibly happen in the area."
Kevin tells us the draft bill to ban politicians from betting on elections has already been presented to the Prime Minister.
He's currently waiting to hear back from the Government: "I don't think the British public like people in politics betting on politics and I think that this is a good opportunity to address that...
"Over the last decade, there's been a growing distrust in politicians... People are a bit cynical and a bit tired and they always believe the worst...
"A change in the law would help public trust - it seems to me to be a no lose proposition."