SNP accused of rigging odds with bookies to sway by-election voters

SNP activists have started a betting war in an attempt to wrest momentum back from Labour in the increasingly tight race to win the Glenrothes by-election, The Scotsman has learned.

An e-mail has been sent to Nationalists urging every one of them to put a £10 bet on the SNP to take the seat next Thursday.

The activists responsible for the scheme claim Labour supporters have been betting on a win for their own party and that this has swung the odds in Labour's favour.

The SNP initiative has been organised by Mediawatch2008, a fringe lobbying organisation loosely attached to the Nationalist movement.

In an e-mail, Mediawatch said a colleague from Inverclyde had responded to its request and placed £10 on the SNP to win in Glenrothes.

It stated: "It is essential that everyone does this, as our intelligence indicates money is going into William Hill's from Labour activists throughout the UK in order to make them bookies' favourites. If you have no previous experience of going into a betting shop then don't worry – they are most helpful.

"The young woman who placed this bet had never ever been in a betting shop in her life before, and just went up to the desk and asked for help."

Rupert Adams, a spokesman for the bookmaker William Hill, said it was not uncommon for the agents of actors to place large bets on their clients to land a plum role – such as the next James Bond – in the hope of swaying the opinion of decision-makers.

But he said this was the first time he had heard of a similar tactic in political betting, adding: "Both parties are on 5/6, so there has been a swing towards Labour in the past few days, but it's not just money that changes the prices. There has been a change in the past few days in the by-election contest."

Mr Adams said William Hill had not taken any money on an SNP victory for the first three days of this week but a single bet of £100 had been placed on the Nationalists yesterday.

David McLetchie, for the Tories, described the news of the betting plea as "a huge embarrassment" for the SNP.

He said: "That notorious gambler Alex Salmond has been caught red-handed, trying to rig the odds."

But a Nationalist spokesman said: "With the SNP working hard for every vote, there's no doubt we are a good bet. But it's the ballot boxes on Thursday that will decide who wins Glenrothes, not the bookies."

• The Tories' national lead over Labour has been cut to single figures for the first time in eight months, it emerged last night.

A YouGov survey put the Conservatives on 42 per cent – down three points from last month – and Labour on 33. The Lib Dems remained static at 15 per cent.