AS THE ‘BettingGate’ scandal continues to engulf the General Election campaign, Liberal Democrats Leader Sir Ed Davey has admitted placing a bet on the 2021 North Shropshire by-election.

Sir Ed said he has placed two bets relating to his party at previous elections, but he has never bet on himself.

One, he told ITV, was on Helen Morgan’s victory in turning the constituency over to the Lib Dems from the Conservatives in December 2021.

He was talking when calling for a review into the scandal that began with Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr candidate Craig Williams, made up of two constituencies that formerly bordered North Shropshire and that includes both Chirk and Llanfyllin.

He said: “I’ve never placed a bet on myself in any election, and I don’t think we should.

OTHER NEWS:

“I think that’s one of the things that would go into this review that we’re calling for. It’s really important we get that review.

“Some people might have thought it was OK to do that, they need greater clarification, they need to be told, no, you can’t do that.

“That’s why a really detailed review will be so important.”

Asked if he had ever placed a bet on any election he said: “The one I can remember because I got very excited was in 2010 when I thought we were going to win more seats than we did and I lost my bet.”

Sir Ed further stated: “I think lots of people would have placed bets on that sort of thing, I had no insider knowledge, I could see the polls like everyone else could see the polls and I got it wrong.”

Further pressed if that was the only occasion the Lib Dem leader said: “I’m trying to think of the last one, I think on the North Shropshire by-election I might have placed a bet when Owen Paterson stood down, I thought we might have a chance and I was right there.

“But I think lot’s of people in politics do this. One reason why we need, to be honest, this review of gambling regulations is to get real clarity on what is allowed but what isn’t.”