Tory Minister Who Bet on Election Date Gets Knighthood From Rishi Sunak

In what could be his final act as PM, Rishi Sunak handed a knighthood to Alister Jack as well as peerages to failed Tory ex-minister Chris Grayling and former PM Theresa May.

The Mirror was among the first to report that a flurry of bets were placed on a July 4 date for the poll in the week before Mr Sunak named the actual date. According to Data from Smarkets, thousands of pounds were waged from May 14, coincidentally the day after an election planning meeting was held at Tory HQ. The date was then announced on May 22.  Jack was among those who admitted to placing bets.

A member of the PM’s ­protection team has also been arrested, bailed and suspended “on suspicion of ­misconduct in public office” for ­allegedly betting on the poll date.

A knighthood is a title that is given to a man by a British king or queen for his achievements or his service to his country.

The Tories were expected to lose in a landslide this week after 14 years of ruling the UK.

Cabinet ministers Grant Shapps, Gillian Keegan and Alex Chalk became the first big names to lose their seats heading into Friday morning as results continued flowing in.

The exit poll put Sir Keir Starmer on course to complete one of the most remarkable turnarounds in British political history forecasting a huge Labour victory that will sweep him into Downing Street with a majority of 170.

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