Minister calls for suspension of conservative candidates over betting scandal

Previously, senior Tory politician and former Defense Minister Tobias Ellwood had called for the suspension of the two Conservative candidates who had allegedly placed bets on the election date.

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Ellwood said he had “no doubt” the controversy would cost his party seats in next week’s election and called on the Prime Minister to strip Craig Williams and Laura Saunders of their formal party support.

When asked about the point on Monday morning, Ellwood told the BBC: “Given the scale of what we are seeing now and the possibility of this story further eclipsing and overshadowing the election, I now agree (that we need to suspend Williams and Saunders).”

In total, four Conservative candidates and officials are currently being investigated by the Gambling Commission – the most recent being the party’s data protection officer, Nick Mason.

This latest revelation, first reported by The Sunday Timesclaimed that Mason had placed dozens of bets with potential winnings worth thousands of pounds.

The news came after it was revealed that Tony Lee, the party’s campaign manager, and his wife Laura Saunders, the candidate for Bristol North West, are also being investigated by the Gambling Commission – alongside Craig Williams, the Prime Minister’s parliamentary private secretary and candidate for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr.

The Conservatives have launched their own investigation into whether politicians or officials bet on the timing of the election, Rishi Sunak confirmed on Tuesday, while the prime minister denied placing any bets himself.

The prime minister told reporters that he was not aware of any other candidates being investigated, and that he himself was not under investigation. He said he had never placed a bet on a political event.

However, Sunak continues to refuse to suspend Williams and Saunders, insisting that he will act “on the basis of any relevant findings or information” from the Conservative and Gambling Commission investigations.

On Monday, Labour leader Keir Starmer accused the prime minister of trying to “put this (scandal) on the back burner and delay the election”. He argued that an investigation into who placed the bets should have been launched last week and “should only have taken half an hour”.

The Gamble Gate scandal, Starmer continued, “goes to the heart of what the Tories have become.”

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