Conservative Party plagued by controversy as second candidate investigated over general election bet
Another Tory MP allegedly placed bets on the timing of the general election, while one of Rishi Sunak's close protection officers has been arrested for a similar offence
A second Conservative candidate is the subject of an investigation by the Gambling Commission over an alleged bet related to the timing of the upcoming general election.
According to various reports, the candidate in question is Laura Saunders, the Conservative’s representative in Bristol North West who has been a member of the party since 2015.
As per the BBC, prior to running in Bristol North West, Saunders’ most recent role came in the Conservatives’ International Division, a department designed to communicate with other centre-right parties around the world.
Saunders is married to Tony Lee, the Conservative Party’s director of campaigns. It has since emerged that Lee is also being investigated by the Gambling Commission because of a bet placed in relation to the general election date and has been on a leave of absence since Wednesday, 19 June.
The Conservative Party has broken its silence in a brief statement to the BBC, which suggested there may be more than one person involved in the investigation.
The Tory spokesperson said: “We have been contacted by the Gambling Commission about a small number of individuals.
“As the Gambling Commission is an independent body, it wouldn’t be proper to comment further, until any process is concluded.”
The use of confidential information to gain an unfair advantage when betting could be deemed as cheating, according to Section 42 of the 2005 Gambling Act, which is regarded as a criminal offence.
Both the date and the value of the alleged bet are currently unknown.
Just hours before the news broke of Saunders’ alleged offence, a close protection officer of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was arrested and suspended over more betting offences, also related to the timing of the general election.
The officer in question is a member of the Metropolitan Police’s protection security command, the Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP), a unit that often provides protection for high-ranking politicians and the royal family.
According to Sky News, multiple bets were reportedly placed by the protection officer, with at least one totalling three figures.
The Gambling Commission informed the Met Police on 14 June that it was investigating the police constable’s activity, with the officer swiftly removed from their normal operational duties.
A statement from the Met read: “The officer was subsequently arrested on Monday 17 June on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was taken into custody and bailed pending further enquiries.
“The Gambling Commission continues to lead the investigation into the alleged betting offences, and our investigation is running in parallel to that.”
The situation has now been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
It has been a turbulent month for the Tories, with these latest controversies coming days after one of the prime minister’s closest aides Craig Williams confessing he had “put a flutter on the general election” a few days before the 4 July date was confirmed.
The former parliamentary private secretary (PPS) took to social media to offer more clarity on the situation, revealing that the Gambling Commission are investigating his activity amid fears of betting corruption.
Williams wrote: “I’ve been contacted by a journalist about Gambling Commission inquiries into one of my accounts and thought it best to be totally transparent.
“I put a flutter on the general election some weeks ago. This has resulted in some routine inquiries and I confirm I will fully cooperate with these.
“I don’t want to be a distraction from the campaign, I should have thought through how it looked.”
High-profile Conservative Party figure and housing secretary Michael Gove has addressed the controversy in light of the Gambling Commission’s investigations into both Lee and Saunders.
Speaking to broadcasters, Gove explained: “If people have used inside information to place bets, that is deeply wrong.
“What I can’t do is sort of get too much into the detail of the case while an investigation is going on. But I can talk about the broad principle and you’re absolutely right, it’s reprehensible.
“Obviously, it doesn’t look great. And, obviously, the conclusions lots of people are drawing are not at all great.
“But I don’t know all the facts at the moment. I’d be loath to condemn without there being an investigation that’s been concluded,” he added.
Williams’ conduct has sparked widespread backlash from key opposition figures, with Liberal Democrats deputy leader Daisy Cooper calling for the Conservatives to launch an inquiry into the misconduct currently under scrutiny from the Gambling Commission.
She argued: “Rishi Sunak must call a Cabinet Office inquiry into what is shaping up to be yet another scandal at the heart of government.
“This stinks of yet more sleaze, and answers are needed. An inquiry is needed to understand who knew what and when.”
Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron previously labelled Williams’ decision as “foolish”.
With the general election two weeks away, today’s average polls, courtesy of the BBC tracker, have Labour streets ahead on 41%, with the Tories behind on 21%, followed by Reform UK on 16% and Lib Dems on 11%.