Tory MP candidate ‘bet £8,000 he would lose seat’

A senior Conservative candidate reportedly placed an £8,000 bet on losing his seat at the general election.

Sir Philip Davies neither confirmed nor denied the wager, first reported by the Sun, but rejected suggestions he had done “anything illegal”.

Sir Philip, who has been the Tory MP for Shipley since 2005, told the newspaper he expected to lose the seat on 4 July.

He is defending a 6,242 majority in the West Yorkshire seat.

Sir Philip said it was “nobody’s business” whether he placed the bet or not.

He said: “What’s it got to do with you whether I did or didn’t. I hope to win. I’m busting a gut to win. I expect to lose.

“In the 2005 election, I busted a gut to win. I expected to lose. I had a bet on myself to lose in the 2005 election, and my bet went down the pan.”

He added: “And if anyone’s alleging I’ve done anything illegal, they’re very welcome to allege it, but I’m afraid I haven’t.”

When contacted by the BBC, Sir Philip said he stood by his comments to the newspaper but did not offer any further comment.

The Conservative party has also been approached by the BBC.

The report about Sir Philip came after several parliamentary candidates were accused of placing bets surrounding the date or outcome of the election.

Earlier this week, the Conservative party withdrew support from Craig Williams, the candidate in Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr, and Laura Saunders, the candidate in Bristol North West, who are both being investigated by the Gambling Commission.

Russell George, a Conservative politician in the Welsh Parliament, is also facing inquiries by the regulator and has “stepped back” from his frontbench role.

Meanwhile, Labour suspended Kevin Craig as its candidate for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich after learning he had placed a bet on losing his bid to become an MP.

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Independent – Nagbea

Reform UK – Simon Dandy

Conservative – Philip Davies

Labour – Anna Dixon

The Yorkshire Party – Will Grant

Workers Party of Britain – Waqas Khan

Christian Peoples Alliance – Darryl Morton-Wright

Liberal Democrat – Graham Reed

Social Democratic Party – Paul Shkurka

Green – Kevin Warnes