Election Bet Scandal: Conservative Candidates Under Investigation

UK's gambling regulator is investigating Laura Saunders, a Conservative candidate, over an alleged bet on the timing of the July 4 election. This comes after another candidate, Craig Williams, faced a similar investigation. The Conservative Party has declined to comment further on these ongoing investigations.

Britain's gambling regulator is investigating a second candidate from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party over an alleged bet relating to the timing of the July 4 election, according to local media reports on Thursday.

The reports named the candidate as Laura Saunders, who is running for a seat in Bristol in south west England. The BBC said she is married to the party's campaign director. Saunders did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

When asked about the reports, a spokesperson for the Gambling Commission said it was investigating "the possibility of offences concerning the date of the election" but could not provide further details at this stage. "We are not confirming or denying the identity of any individuals involved in this investigation," the spokesperson added.

It comes after another Conservative candidate and close aide to Sunak, Craig Williams, last week apologised after he placed a bet on when the election would happen, also triggering an investigation by the gambling regulator. "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," a Conservative Party spokesman told the BBC.

The Conservative Party declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. Sunak's announcement last month that the election, which polls forecast the Conservatives are set to lose, would be held on July 4 took most lawmakers and voters by surprise.

London police said on Wednesday that they had arrested a police officer working in a special protection unit over alleged bets made on the timing of the election. The BBC reported the officer worked as part of Sunak's close protection team. ($1 = 0.7870 pounds)

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