General election latest: Rishi Sunak under pressure to suspend Tory candidate caught up in gambling probe

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A Conservative candidate is being investigated by the Gambling Commission over a bet relating to the timing of the snap election announcement. Laura Saunders has also sparked controversy after it emerged she is married to the party’s director of campaigning Tony Lee.

The candidate for Bristol North West is the second Tory member to face gambling allegations after Craig Williams apologised over betting on the date of the general election.

It comes as a police officer in Rishi Sunak’s close protection team was arrested and suspended over alleged bets about the timing of the general election.

The prime minister is now facing calls to suspend Ms Saunders after the Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper labelled the situation an “utter disgrace” and said the PM “must suspend” Ms Saunders while the probe is ongoing.

With just two weeks to go before the general election, the Blue Wall could be shaking as multiple opinion polls predicted an astonishing defeat for the Tories.

Michael Gove has warned Labour could “rig the system” to create a “forever government” if Sir Keir Starmer wins on July 4.

Key Points

• Lib Dems urge Sunak to suspend probed Laura Saunders
• Probed Tory facing betting allegations married to party campaign director
• Tory director of campaigning ‘takes leave of absence’
• Labour: ‘Tory betting allegations show pattern of cronyism'
• Hunt admits Tories ‘not likely’ to win the general election

Breaking: Tory director of campaigning also investigated over election bet

The Conservative party’s director of campaigning Tony Lee is being probed by the Gambling Commission over an alleged bet to the date of the general elction, the BBC reports.

Mr Lee took a leave of absence yesterday after his wife Laura Saunders, who is also being investigated for reportedly betting on the snap election.

A Conservative party spokesman told the BBC: “We have been contacted by the Gambling Commission about a small number of individuals. As the Gambling Commission is an independent body, it wouldn’t be proper to comment further, until any process is concluded.”

Labour calls Sunak to suspend two Tory candidates in gambling probe

Labour’s campaign co-ordinator Pat McFadden has called on Rishi Sunak to withdraw support from two Conservative candidates caught up in gambling probes.

It comes after one of his close protection officers had been suspended over the same allegations.

In a letter to the prime minister, Mr McFadden said: “It was reported last night that a member of your close protection team has been suspended from his job, and subsequently arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, after a communication from the Gambling Commission to the Metropolitan Police.

“Can I ask you very simply why you think that a serving police officer should be suspended from his role, because of allegations that he made a bet based on inside information, while the two colleagues of yours who so far stand accused of the same offence – Craig Williams, your PPS (parliamentary private secretary), and Laura Saunders, a member of your CCHQ (Conservative Campaign Headquarters) staff and partner of your campaigns director – are still being allowed to stand as Tory candidates in the election on July 4?

“Surely you can understand that – yet again – this looks as though there is one rule for members of the Tory Party, and another rule for everyone else, specifically on this occasion a serving police officer.

“If you can see how wrong that is, will you now at the very least remove your support for Mr Williams and Ms Saunders as Conservative election candidates?”

Labour could become a ‘forever government’, Tories warn

Cabinet minister Michael Gove has warned that if the Labour party wins a big majority on July 4 the party could “rig the system” to create a “forever government”.

It comes as multiple opinion polls have revealed that Sir Keir Starmer is on track to secure a massive landslide victory at the general election.

The Levelling Up Secretary told Sky News: “I hope we are getting our message across on tax and one of the things is that if people do reflect on the polls, and of course some may, they will ask themselves this question: If Labour do have that really big majority, what is to stop them rigging the system?

“What is to stop them giving votes to EU citizens, 16 year-olds, prisoners, and making sure that they could be a forever government.”

Scottish Greens launch manifesto in Edinburgh

The Scottish Greens are launching their general election manifesto from Edinburgh.

Party co-leader Lorna Slater has pledged a “green new deal” and to boost a “green economy” to bring net zero to Scotland.

The party claims the programme would be funded by increasing taxes on the wealthiest.

Hunt: ‘I like and respect Rachel Reeves'

Jeremy Hunt has said he has “a lot of respect” for Rachel Reeves despite having different approaches on taxation.

Speaking at The Times’ CEO Summit, the Chancellor said of his shadow: “I have a lot of respect for Rachel Reeves, I like her as a person and I think what is the big difference between her approach if she becomes chancellor and my approach? It does boil down to tax.”

Mr Hunt added: “The Labour perspective is that they believe taxation is broadly a force for good, they believe that for social justice reasons, and they are content with tax levels as they are, in fact the Labour manifesto is actually planning to increase taxes by about £8 billion a year.

“If we’re going to bring down taxes, and I’m speaking as the Chancellor who put them up and put them up significantly, it is a lot of hard work. It is a lot of discipline. But I think that is very, very important for our economic future.”

Reform candidate called monarchy ‘benefit scroungers’

A candidate for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party criticised the monarchy describing royals as “benefit scroungers” during Jubilee celebrations.

Jo Hart posted other comments including “f*** the royals” and “make Lizzy the last” on Facebook in 2022.

Ms Hart is standing in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, where Labour suspended its candidate Andy Brown after he reportedly shared pro-Russia posts.

In her rant, which Ms Hart claims was a shared post, she said: “But then the Jubilee comes along, for our ‘glorious monarch’ who has never experienced the kind of hardship having to choose between heating or food, she doesn’t have to worry about keeping the lights on or not, in fact, the many MANY millions that have been p****d away on the jubilee celebrations haven’t even come from her pocket, but from the public purse.”

She added: “All the while I hear people banging on about people on benefits scrounging. The single biggest benefits scroungers are the monatchy it’s time it was scrapped! f*** the royals! #makelizzythelast.”

Tory director of campaigning ‘takes leave of absence’ as election betting scandal grows

The Conservative party’s director of campaigning has “taken a leave of absence” as the scandal over allegations that key figures used insider knowledge to bet on the date of the election, our Political editor David Maddox reports.

The Independent has been told that Tony Lee took a leave of absence after it was discovered his wife Laura Saunders was being investigated for placing a bet on the general election .

It means that the Tory election campaign which was already on the ropes with Labour holding a massive 20 point lead is without its campaign director.

The Independent has asked for the Conservative party for a comment.

Farage blames housing crisis on immigration

Nigel Farage has claimed that immigration is “the real reason for the housing crisis” and that the Tories and Labour are not “telling voters the truth” about it.

The right-wing leader blamed people coming to the UK for rising rents and the shortage of housing.

In a campaign video, he said: “For the Labour and Conservative parties today is housing day. They are going to talk about housing, access to housing and the Labour Party are going to talk about rents.

“I wonder whether either of them will mention the fact that the British population has risen by 10 million since Tony Blair came to power, six million of that since the Tories came to power in 2010 and 85 per cent of that directly down to immigration.

“That is why people can’t get houses, that is why rents have gone up 20 to 30 per cent in the last four years alone. But I bet you they don’t even mention it and that is why we are the only party in this election telling the British people the truth.”

Who is probed Tory candidate Laura Saunders?

Laura Saunders is the Conservative candidate for Bristol North West and has become the latest party member to bee investigated by the Gambling Commission over a bet relating to the general election date.

But it is not known when the alleged bet was placed or for how much money.

Ms Saunders has worked for the Tories for almost a decade and is married to the party’s director of campaigning Tony Lee. She is also head of the Conservative party’s international department.

Labour refuses to match Tory stamp duty pledge

Labour has said the party will not match a Conservative pledge to keep stamp duty threshold for fist-time buyers at £425,000.

Shadow housing minister Matthew Pennycook told ITV’s Good Morning Britain programme: “The Conservatives have outlined a very specific policy. I think it is a desperate policy, it is unfunded.

“We have not got the same policy in place. Our offer for first time buyers is a Freedom to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme that will help those who are able to afford mortgage repayments but struggle with a deposit onto the housing ladder.”

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