The Conservative Party has withdrawn its support for Craig Williams and Laura Saunders amid a row over bets placed on the date of the general election.
The prime minister had insisted he needed to wait until the Gambling Commission’s inquiry had concluded to take any action but had faced pressure to suspend Williams and Saunders, the two Tory candidates.
But in a statement today, a Conservative 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.”
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The prime minister had come under pressure to take action following the revelations over the past couple of weeks.
Williams, who served as Rishi Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary, is seeking re-election in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, He admitted last week he “put a flutter” on a July poll three days before the prime minister called the election.
Saunders is standing in Bristol North West. Her husband Tony Lee was the Conservative director of campaigning but has now taken a “leave of absence” while he is also investigated.
In total, four Conservative candidates and officials are currently being investigated by the Gambling Commission — the last one named was the party’s chief data officer, Nick Mason.
This latest revelation, first reported by The Sunday Times, alleged Mason had placed dozens of bets with potential winnings worth thousands of pounds.
The news came after it emerged that Lee and his wife Saunders are also under investigation by the Gambling Commission, alongside Williams.
The decision to withdraw support from Saunders and Williams as candidates came after a serving minister broke rank to urge the prime minister to do so.
Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker had said he would suspend anyone who bet on the timing of the election.
Speaking to ITV’s Peston on Monday evening, Baker said: “I would call them up and ask them, ‘Did you do it?’ And if they did it, then they are suspended.”
Baker added that the “prime minister would have to answer why he hasn’t done it. I haven’t got inside information on why the prime minister hasn’t done it.”
On Monday, Rishi Sunak revealed the Conservatives had launched their own inquiry into whether politicians or officials gambled on the timing of the election.
The PM also told reporters he was not aware of any further candidates being looked into and was not himself being investigated, saying he had never bet on a political event.
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The post Conservative Party withdraws support for gambling scandal candidates appeared first on Politics.co.uk.
The prime minister had insisted he needed to wait until the Gambling Commission’s inquiry had concluded to take any action but had faced pressure to suspend Williams and Saunders, the two Tory candidates.
But in a statement today, a Conservative 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.”
***Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest election news and analysis.***
The prime minister had come under pressure to take action following the revelations over the past couple of weeks.
Williams, who served as Rishi Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary, is seeking re-election in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, He admitted last week he “put a flutter” on a July poll three days before the prime minister called the election.
Saunders is standing in Bristol North West. Her husband Tony Lee was the Conservative director of campaigning but has now taken a “leave of absence” while he is also investigated.
In total, four Conservative candidates and officials are currently being investigated by the Gambling Commission — the last one named was the party’s chief data officer, Nick Mason.
This latest revelation, first reported by The Sunday Times, alleged Mason had placed dozens of bets with potential winnings worth thousands of pounds.
The news came after it emerged that Lee and his wife Saunders are also under investigation by the Gambling Commission, alongside Williams.
The decision to withdraw support from Saunders and Williams as candidates came after a serving minister broke rank to urge the prime minister to do so.
Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker had said he would suspend anyone who bet on the timing of the election.
Speaking to ITV’s Peston on Monday evening, Baker said: “I would call them up and ask them, ‘Did you do it?’ And if they did it, then they are suspended.”
Baker added that the “prime minister would have to answer why he hasn’t done it. I haven’t got inside information on why the prime minister hasn’t done it.”
On Monday, Rishi Sunak revealed the Conservatives had launched their own inquiry into whether politicians or officials gambled on the timing of the election.
The PM also told reporters he was not aware of any further candidates being looked into and was not himself being investigated, saying he had never bet on a political event.
Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest election news and analysis.
The post Conservative Party withdraws support for gambling scandal candidates appeared first on Politics.co.uk.