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The betting scandal is hanging over the Tories as we enter the final 10 days before the general election.
The party is worried the row will have consequences, with Conservative candidate and former minister Tobias Ellwood claiming the saga will “cost us seats”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Mr Ellwood urged Rishi Sunak to suspend the Tories involved as he claimed “the public want to see clear robust action now”.
The Gambling Commission is believed to have written to leading bookmakers to get information on bets placed days before Rishi Sunak announced the election on 4 July.
The watchdog’s early investigation is reported to have brought to light “many more people” involved, and it is now looking at bets made in the days before Mr Sunak announced the election date on 22 May.
Former cabinet ministers have pointed the blame at Mr Sunak for the scandal, while others have called for those investigated to be suspended if found guilty.
Key Points
- Ellwood: ‘No doubt betting scandal will cost party seats’
- Senior Tories turn on Rishi Sunak over failure to get a grip on election betting scandal
- Cabinet minister accuses Labour of trying to influence the Gambling Commission
- IFS director: Labour and Tory manifestos not fully costed
- Wes Streeting defends Labour plans for gender recognition laws
Exclusive: On the campaign trail with Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg
The Independent’s Alex Ross spent a morning with Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg on the campaign trail North east Somerset and Hanham.
Rees-Mogg is facing the very real threat of losing his seat on 4 July.
Watch the full video report below:
The Tories are hiding ‘behind the Gambling Commission’, Streeting says
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said the Conservative Party was hiding “behind the Gambling Commission” and it was “entirely reasonable” for Labour’s national campaign co-ordinator to write to the watchdog.
Asked about comments by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris who claimed Labour was trying to put “undue influence” on the Gambling Commission to reveal details of its investigation, Mr Streeting said: “Pat McFadden’s letter to the Gambling Commission is entirely reasonable.”
He told Times Radio: “The audacity of the Conservative Party to hide behind the Gambling Commission, to not answer straightforward questions of the Prime Minister about who knew what, who’s implicated, who’s under investigation, and what he’s going to do about it.”
He added: “I think people should greet with enormous suspicion, the fact that the Conservatives are trying to cover up in the middle of an election campaign, which of their candidates is under investigation for serious wrongdoing.”
Jabed Ahmed24 June 2024 09:47 1719217727Farage accuses Boris Johnson of being a ‘liar and a hypocrite’
Nigel Farage has accused Boris Johnson of being a “liar and a hypocrite” after the former prime minister attacked the Reform leader for his comments on Ukraine.
Mr Farage came under fire for claiming that the West provoked Russia’s war of Ukraine during the BBC Panorma interview.
Mr Johnson branded the comments a “nauseating ahistorical drivel and more Kremlin propaganda”.
In response, the right-wing politician suggested the former Tory minister had blamed the EU for Russia’s 2014 attacks.
Salma Ouaguira24 June 2024 09:28 1719217508Wes Streeting: ‘biological women have felt excluded’ in debates on trans rights
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said “biological women have felt excluded” at times in debates on transgender rights.
He told Times Radio: “I think at times in pursuit of inclusion we’ve ended up in a position where women have felt excluded, biological women have felt excluded.
“And there are practical examples of this in terms of things like NHS language and documentation.”
Asked about Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s position on the issue, Mr Streeting said: “I think what Keir has been trying to do on this – I think we all have – is to try and respect the fact that there are people whose gender identity is different from their biological sex and to try and be as inclusive as possible.”
Jabed Ahmed24 June 2024 09:25 1719217433Cabinet minister: I would place bets on seats if election betting was allowed
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has said he would place bets on “individual seats” as he has done in the past if he were “allowed to bet on the election”.
He told Times Radio: “If I was allowed to bet on the election, I would do what I have done in the past which is have bets on individual seats that are what you would be calling too close to call because you know I quite fancied that, like my £1 bet at the beginning of a week on the multiplier for five wins on the football at the weekend.”
Jabed Ahmed24 June 2024 09:23 1719216850Watch: Nigel Farage claims Donald Trump has ‘learned a lot’ from studying his speeches
Nigel Farage has claimed former US President Donald Trump “learned a lot” from studying his speeches in the European Parliament before he ran for office.
Sunak warns Labour government would be ‘disaster’ as he battles to save election campaign
Rishi Sunak will warn that it would take decades to recover from the “disaster” of a Labour government as he seeks to rally Tories to fight for every vote in the closing stages of the General Election campaign.
The Prime Minister will tell activists they have just 10 days to “take our message to every corner of the United Kingdom” and stop a Labour “supermajority.”
Read the full article here:
Sunak warns Labour government would be ‘disaster’ as he battles to save campaign
Rishi Sunak is set to urge Tory activists not to surrender to Labour and hand Sir Keir Starmer a landslide win
Jabed Ahmed24 June 2024 09:10 1719216427Wes Streeting feels ‘pretty depressed’ over JK Rowling’s criticism of Labour plans for gender transition
The shadow health secretary has said he feels “pretty depressed” over JK Rowling’s criticism of Labour’s stance on transgender rights.
Asked how he feels about comments by the author criticising the party for “abandoning” women concerned about transgender rights, Wes Streeting told Times Radio: “Pretty depressed, to be honest.
“I have a lot of respect for JK Rowling both in terms of what she’s done for children and literacy but also the work that she’s done campaigning for women and in particular violence against women and girls.
“I think that we’ve clearly got more work to do to rebuild trust with people that we’ve lost on this issue.”
He added: “I think we can find a way through that both treats trans people with the dignity and respect that they deserve, and also treats women with the respect that they deserve, particularly protecting women’s spaces, women’s voices, and right to speak up.
“So, when women like JK Rowling do speak up, I think it’s important we engage seriously with the arguments that she’s making, with the concerns that she has.
“And also we listen to what trans people are saying about the everyday injustices and indignities that they’re experiencing too, whether that’s hate crime or poor provision in public services.”
Jabed Ahmed24 June 2024 09:07 1719215996Coming up: IFS due to reveal analysis on main parties’ manifestos
The Institute for Fiscal Studies is expected to reveal its analyisis on the main parties’ election manifestos.
Think tank’s director Paul Johnson has given some detail about what we can expect from today’s report.
He told BBC Radio 4 on the Today programme that he does not think the manifestos are fully costed and it’s clear that spending cuts are coming “if we don’t increase taxes”.
But Mr Johnson claimed both the Conservatives and Labour are refusing to say how they would deal with the finances.
Referring to the Greens and Reform UK he claimed that “the further away from power you get the more radical the manifestos become” which include “radical but entirely unattainable” pledges.
We will bring you all the updates on the IFS manifesto analysis once it’s been published at noon.
Salma Ouaguira24 June 2024 08:59 Newer1 / 7OlderDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
