Many Conservative lawmakers and bureaucrats, along with police personnel stationed near parliament, found themselves in hot water due to claims that they had gambled on the date of the July vote before it was made public by then-prime minister Rishi Sunak, severely hurting the party’s campaign.
However, the force announced on Friday that, although having investigated a “small number of cases” that might have led to misconduct in public office offenses, none of them met the “high bar” required to be brought to trial, and as a result, the investigation was coming to a conclusion.
The Gambling Commission was still looking into whether the instances violated any laws, the Met said.
If proven guilty, the watchdog’s “statutory prosecutorial power” might result in a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
“These allegations caused a significant dent in public confidence during the election campaign, and it was right that they were investigated to explore all possible offences,” stated Detective Superintendent Katherine Goodwin.
“Although we are no longer involved in the criminal investigation, it is crucial that this not be misconstrued as an all-clear for those whose cases were examined.
