Kevin Craig calls for inquiry into UK Gambling Commission conduct
Regulation2 min read
Former Labour candidate Kevin Craig is seeking a parliamentary inquiry into the UK Gambling Commission’s handling of its investigation into his 2024 election bet. The commission closed the investigation without charges in December 2024; Craig alleges that the inquiry and a leak of details affected his election campaign.
A parliamentary inquiry into the UK Gambling Commission is being sought by Kevin Craig, who stood for Labour in the 2024 general election and accuses the regulator of interfering with democracy and leaking details to the media. Its investigation of his wager ended without charges in December 2024.
Craig, the founder and chief executive of lobbying firm PLMR, said he was personally funding a campaign for an inquiry by the parliamentary Culture, Media and Sport Committee. His proposed inquiry would examine the regulator's spending, approach to illegal gambling and use of statistics in policymaking.
Labour suspended Craig on June 25, 2024, after the Gambling Commission notified the party of its investigation into his bet. He apologised and called his actions an error of judgement. Despite the party withdrawing support, his name stayed on the ballot as the nomination period had ended.
Craig lost the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich seat to Conservative Patrick Spencer by 4,290 votes. He said the investigation cost him the seat and claimed internal polling had suggested he was performing strongly before the dispute, although he provided no figures.
The commission closed its investigation after determining that the evidence did not meet the prosecution threshold. Labour later readmitted Craig.
His case was separate from an investigation into suspected betting on the election date using confidential information by political insiders linked to the Conservative Party. Former Conservative politician Craig Williams was among those who pleaded guilty to cheating in June 2026 in connection with that investigation.