The election in Great Britain

Analysis: The scandal bad for everyone – not just the Tory Party

The betting scandal uncovered before the British election risks damaging not only the Tory Party, but also British politicians in general. That's what Sky News' Rob Powell writes in an analysis since several party representatives were suspected of having gambled on the date of election day.

Powell writes that journalists and others in the political sphere often overestimate how scandals affect individual parties. The effect is often that politicians' reputation is weakened regardless of party affiliation, he writes.

"Don't be surprised if this latest scandal lowers confidence in any future leader."

The BBC's Helen Catt believes that the reporting comes at a sensitive stage, just hours before one of the election campaign's big debates. For the Tories, the scandal risks obscuring important messages, says Catt.

She also points out that it has practical consequences because the party's campaign manager Tony Lee has taken leave as a result of the investigation.

The party has lost a key figure in the fight to turn around the very gloomy state of opinion, she writes.

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Gambling scandal shakes Tories ahead of election: "Unacceptable"

Betting company Betfair Exchange saw a sharp increase in betting on the UK election date just before Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on May 22 that the election would be held on July 4. This shows an analysis from the Financial Times.

The sums placed increased sharply the day before the announcement. The analysis is published at the same time that several Tory politicians and a bodyguard around Sunak are being investigated on suspicion of having acted on insider information.

The minister, Michael Gove, says according to Sky News that he is "almost at a loss for words" over the information that several people may have used insider information to "make a few hundred pounds on the side".

- It is unacceptable, says Gove, with the addition that he does not want to preempt the investigations.