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The betting scandal continues to overshadow the general election campaign trail, as the Conservative party has suspended the two candidates investigated by the Gambling Commission.
A party spokesperson said: “As a result of ongoing internal enquiries, we have concluded that we can no longer support Craig Williams or Laura Saunders as parliamentary candidates at the forthcoming general election.
“We have checked with the Gambling Commission that this decision does not compromise the investigation that they are conducting, which is rightly independent and ongoing.”
The Met Police has denied leaking the names of the Tories involved. Rishi Sunak previously ruled out suspending the candidates until the independent body had concluded the investigation and found them guilty.
It comes as James Cleverly and Yvette Cooper went head to head on LBC on an LBC immigration debate this morning as they clashed over spouse visas and the annual cap on migration.
Key Points
- Tories withdraw support from two betting scandal candidates
- Met Police officers investigated by Gambling Commission
- Gambling Commission rejects calls to name probed Tories
- Senior minister calls for suspensions in betting scandal
- Cooper refuses to set net migration target
- Kwarteng admits ‘partial responsibility' for Tory election challenges
Breaking: Conservatives withdraw support from two candidates in betting scandal
The Conservative party has announced it has withdrawn support from the two candidates investigated by the Gambling Commission.
A party spokesperson said: “As a result of ongoing internal enquiries, we have concluded that we can no longer support Craig Williams or Laura Saunders as parliamentary candidates at the forthcoming general election.
“We have checked with the Gambling Commission that this decision does not compromise the investigation that they are conducting, which is rightly independent and ongoing.”
It comes as Rishi Sunak faced growing pressure to suspend the Tories accused of placing a bet on the general election from within the party.
The prime minister previously ruled out suspending the candidates until the independent body had concluded the investigation and found guilty.
Starmer slams Sunak for not acting sooner on betting scandal
Sir Keir Starmer has reacted to the news about Craig Williams and Laura Saunders being dropped as Tory candidates.
The Labour leader has criticised the move for not coming sooner. He told reporters: “Why didn’t he [Rishi Sunak] do that last week?”
Sir Keir previously called Rishi Sunak to suspend the people involved in the scandal and branded the prime minister “too weak” for leadership.
Salma Ouaguira25 June 2024 11:02 1719309426In full: Who is Laura Saunders the second person named in the betting saga?
Laura Saunders became the second person to be named in the affair, Matt Mathers reports.
Ms Saunders, the Tory candidate for Bristol North West, is also under investigation by the Gambling Commission (GC) over claims she may have had inside knowledge about the prime minister’s decision to call a snap poll for 4 July.
Ms Saunders has worked for the party since 2015 and was married to Tony Lee, who works as the Conservative Party’s director of campaigns. Mr Lee has since taken a leave of absence after it came to light he was the third person being probed by the GC.
According to the BBC, which first named Ms Saunders as the candidate under investigation, she worked most recently at the party’s international division at Conservative Campaign Headquarters, which works with other centre-right parties around the world.
In full: Who is Craig Williams the Tory candidate in the betting scandal?
Craig Williams, the PM’s parliamentary private secretary, was the first person caught up in the scandal, Matt Mathers reports.
He admitted placing a bet on the election prior to Mr Sunak’s announcement after he was approached by a journalist.
The 39-year-old Tory candidate for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr placed a £100 bet with 5-1 odds at Ladbrokes, meaning he would have won £500, but his name was raised as potentially a “politically exposed person”, so the wager was not registered.
That sparked the Gambling Commission writing to firms demanding the details of all bets made on a July election after 1 May, which it is now combing through.
According to The Guardian, which first reported the story, Mr Williams placed his bet via an online account that would have required him to provide personal details, including his date of birth and debit card. The bookmaker also knows the location of the bet.
Mr Williams apologised after admiting that he had placed a wager on the bet, but refused to comment further while the GC carried out its probe.
“I clearly made a huge error of judgment, that’s for sure, and I apologise,” he told. “I will not be expanding on my statement because it’s an independent process.”
Minister says he shares James Cracknell’s frustration after ‘shower of shit’ comment
A Home Office minister has said he agrees with the frustration expressed by former Olympic rower and Tory candidate James Cracknell over the gambling scandal, Kate Devlin reports.
Earlier this week the Olympian who is standing as a Tory candidate described the party as a “shower of shit” and said “if one of my teammates got caught for cheating, they’d be dead to me” in a social media video.
Asked about the “frustration” expressed by the electorate and Mr Cracknell, Mr Tomlinson told Sky News: “That’s right, and I share his frustration. I agree with the frustration that’s being expressed, more than frustration, the anger as well.”
Salma Ouaguira25 June 2024 10:40 1719308143Idris Elba joins Starmer in knife crime campaign
Actor Idris Elba has joined Sir Keir Starmer as part of a Labour event on knife crime.
The Thor actor, who has been vocal about tackling the London violence, agreed with the Labour leader on the need for a long-term solution.
While speaking in West London, Sir Keir promised a “comprehensive ban on possession of a wider range of lethal weapons”.
In full: Labour will keep Bibby Stockholm barge in use if elected, Yvette Cooper confirms
Labour will keep the Bibby Stockholm asylum barge in use if elected next week, Yvette Cooper has confirmed.
The party has said it cannot end the use of the vesselimmediately if it wins the general election, but that it wants to end the need for barges and hotels “as fast as possible”. The shadow home secretary was quizzed about Labour’s plans for Bibby Stockholm, which she has criticised in the past over its “eye watering” cost.
Asked during a debate on LBC whether she would take asylum seekers off the barge on day one of a Labour government, Ms Cooper said: “No, obviously you can’t do that on day one.
“I think we need to end these extortionate barges, military bases and hotels… we want to do that as fast as possible but what you have to do first of all, the system is broken, so we need to prevent small boats arriving in the first place and that means smashing the criminal gangs.”
Read The Independent full story below
Labour will keep Bibby Stockholm barge in use if elected, Yvette Cooper confirms
The party has said it cannot end the use of the vessel immediately if it wins the election, but that it wants to end the need for barges and hotels ‘as fast as possible’
Salma Ouaguira25 June 2024 10:32 1719307330Sunak takes aim at Labour over illegal migration
Salma Ouaguira25 June 2024 10:22 1719306951Atkins criticises Labour’s plans to introduce trans self ID
Victoria Atkins has criticised Labour for planning to introduce self ID for trans people “by the back door”.
Speaking at a press conference this morning, the Health Secretary said: “The Labour Party have been at the heart of this toxic debate.
“Some of Labour’s most senior politicians have run towards this biological denial and embraced it. The man who would like to be foreign secretary called women ‘dinosaurs’ ‘hoarding rights’ and the man who wishes to lead the health service and therefore maternity services said people asking reasonable questions should just ‘get over it’.
“Now we discover that the Labour Party want to dilute women’s rights further through their plans to introduce self-identification by the back door.
“Currently someone who wants to change their legal sex has to live in their acquired gender for at least two years before their application is scrutinised by a panel made up of medical practitioners and qualified legal members. Labour want to abolish this panel and the safeguards it represents.”
Salma Ouaguira25 June 2024 10:15 1719306204Gambling Commission rejects calls to name probed Tories
The watchdog investigating Tory candidates for allegedly betting on the date of the general election has rejected calls to release the names.
Labour’s national campaign coordinator Pat McFadden wrote a letter to the Gambling Commission asking the independent body to release details of the poeople investigated.
But Andrew Rhodes, chief executive of the commission, has replied saying that “to protect the integrity of the investigation, and to ensure a fair and just outcome” it will not be naming the suspects.
He added the commission has asked the suspects to treat the matter confidentially but this requirement “does not preclude other activity relating to the fact of an investigation taking place”.
Salma Ouaguira25 June 2024 10:03 Newer1 / 8OlderDisclaimer: 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.
