Tories under pressure to suspend Laura Saunders as she becomes SECOND candidate to be investigated over alleged election date bet

The Tories are under pressure to suspend a second-election candidate who is being investigated for betting on today’s election date after it emerged that she was conspiring with the party’s campaign manager.

Laura Saunders, who is standing for election in Bristol North West, is the subject of a Gambling Commission investigation into an alleged bet on Rishi Sunak’s election in July.

She is the second candidate to be investigated by the commission, which is also looking into a bet made by Craig Williams, a close associate of the prime minister.

Today, according to the BBC, it was revealed that Ms Saunders is married to Tony Lee, who is also under investigation. The Conservatives confirmed that Mr Lee has taken a “leave of absence” from his party role.

British Communities and Urban Affairs Secretary Michael Gove admitted this morning that it would be “reprehensible” to use insider information to bet on the date of the general election, adding: “It does not look good.”

Labour leader Keir Starmer said: “This candidate should be suspended and it is telling that Rishi Sunak has not yet done so.”

“If it had been one of my candidates, he would have gone without even touching the ground with his feet.”

Speaking on the Conservative campaign bus in London, Gove told broadcasters: “It obviously doesn’t look good. And of course the conclusions that many people are drawing from this are not good at all.”

“But I don’t know all the facts at the moment. I would refuse to pronounce a conviction without an investigation being completed.”

A Conservative spokesman said: “We have been contacted by the Gambling Commission about a small number of people.”

“As the Gambling Commission is an independent body, it would not be appropriate to comment further until the process is complete.”

Mr Williams is also being investigated for placing a £100 bet on the July election, just days before the Prime Minister announced the July 4 vote. The 5:1 bet would have earned him £500.

The problem with people with close ties to the Prime Minister betting on the election date is that these people may have inside information that could give them an advantage.

It has not been confirmed whether Ms Saunders had any inside information when she allegedly placed the bet.

Using confidential information to gain an unfair advantage when betting may constitute an offence of cheating under Section 42 of the Gambling Act.

Those convicted face an unlimited fine or a prison sentence of up to two years.

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The investigation into Ms Saunders comes as a police officer from Sunak’s security team was suspended and arrested for allegedly taking bets on the timing of the election, it was revealed on Wednesday.

The Metropolitan Police was contacted by the Gambling Commission last Friday and informed that the Commission was investigating the activities of a member of Scotland Yard’s Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP) Command.

The police officer was relieved of his operational duties with immediate effect.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “We can confirm that the Metropolitan Police were contacted on Friday 14 June by the Gambling Commission, who advised us that they were investigating alleged betting by a police officer from the Metropolitan Police’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Command, in relation to the timing of the General Election.”

“The case was immediately referred to officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Directorate of Professional Standards, who launched an investigation. In addition, the officer was relieved of his operational duties.”

“The officer was subsequently arrested on suspicion of abuse of office on Monday 17 June. He was taken into custody and released on bail pending further investigations. The case has also been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

“The Gambling Commission continues to lead the investigation into the alleged betting offences and our investigations are running in parallel.”

Mr Williams, who is seeking re-election as MP for Montgomeryshire, had bet that the election would take place in July just three days before the announcement, as The Guardian first reported.

Meanwhile, the nation was surprised that the election was to be held in the summer rather than the autumn. Mr Williams has since apologised for a “major error of judgement”.

The date and value of Ms Saunder’s alleged bet were not disclosed.