The British Conservative Party on Tuesday withdrew its support for two of its candidates in the July 4 legislative elections suspected in the fraudulent betting scandal, which also extends to the police with five new officers targeted by the investigation.
For several weeks, the commission responsible for regulating betting has suspected certain people of having taken advantage of privileged information due to their proximity to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to bet on the date on which the elections would be held.
While everyone was expecting it in the fall, the Prime Minister announced on May 22, to everyone’s surprise, that the vote would take place on July 4.
The scandal has accentuated the difficulties of the Conservatives ahead of the elections, in which they are widely expected to lose against the Labor opposition.
Two conservative candidates are particularly in the sights of the commission, the MP and adviser to Rishi Sunak, Craig Williams, and Laura Saunders, married to the party’s campaign director, Tony Lee, also suspected.
The first admitted an “error of judgment” without confirming that he had confidential information.
Accused for days, even in his own camp, of lacking firmness, Rishi Sunak finally made it known on Tuesday that they no longer had the support of the party.
“As a result of the ongoing internal investigation, we have concluded that we can no longer support Craig Williams and Laura Saunders as candidates,” a Tory spokesperson said.
In the evening, a newly elected Conservative, Russell George, member of the local Welsh parliament, indicated that he was the subject of an investigation by the betting regulation commission and announced his resignation from the team leading the conservative opposition to the Welsh Government.
The controversy reached Rishi Sunak’s government itself, when the BBC revealed that the minister in charge of Scotland, Alister Jack, had told one of his journalists at the end of May that he had won more than 2,000 pounds by betting on the date of the elections.
“I did not place any bet on the date of the legislative elections in May, during the period concerned by the investigation” of the betting policeman, he assured in a press release published Tuesday, adding that he had not “never violated any rules”.
And the scandal spread further on Tuesday, with the betting regulation commission having transmitted to the London police the names of five officers who had placed bets on the date of the elections.
The commission “continues its investigation. The agents were not arrested but [la direction interne chargée des plaintes visant des policiers] has been informed,” said a Metropolitan Police spokesperson.
The officers targeted work in different services, including the diplomatic and parliamentary protection service, he said.
An agent from the unit responsible for the protection of personalities was already arrested last week, then released on parole.
For its part, Labor announced on Tuesday that it was suspending the nomination of one of its candidates, Kevin Craig, after being informed by the betting regulation commission that it was investigating him. He would have bet on his own defeat in the election.
The party defended a decision taken “immediately”, recalling its attachment to respecting the “highest standards” by its candidates.