Election Betting Scandal Rocks U.K. Politics

The Conservative Party in the U.K. has withdrawn support from two parliamentary candidates amid an election betting scandal. The controversy involves a police officer and further implicates top party members close to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The Gambling Commission is investigating potential insider betting violations.

Britain's governing Conservative Party said on Tuesday it had withdrawn support from two parliamentary candidates who are being investigated over alleged bets placed on the timing of next month's national election.

A London police officer working in a special protection unit was separately arrested last week over alleged bets made on the timing of the election. Police said on Tuesday that they had received information from the Gambling Commission alleging that five more officers placed bets on the election date. "The Gambling Commission continues to investigate these matters. The officers have not been arrested but the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

The escalating scandal, a blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the run-up to a July 4 election his Conservatives are forecast to lose, has also embroiled the party's campaign director. "As a result of ongoing internal enquiries, we have concluded that we can no longer support Craig Williams or Laura Saunders as parliamentary candidates at the forthcoming general election," a spokesperson for the party said.

Williams, a close aide to Sunak who had previously apologised, said in a video message on social media platform X on Tuesday: "I committed an error of judgement, not an offence." "I'm fully cooperating with routine inquiries from the Gambling Commission and I intend to clear my name," he said.

Media reported last week that Britain's betting regulator, the Gambling Commission, was looking into allegations of improper betting by a second candidate, Saunders, and her husband Tony Lee, the party's campaign director. Reuters was unable to reach Saunders or Lee to seek comment.

The party said at the time it had been contacted by the Commission "about a small number of individuals". It also said Lee had taken a leave of absence from his role. The Conservative spokesperson said the party had checked with the Gambling Commission to ensure its decision to withdraw support did not compromise its inquiries. The Commission has not named anyone in relation to its investigation.

British bookmakers allow bets on politics, and the timing of an election is a popular bet. But placing bets with insider knowledge is a crime. Sunak, who took most lawmakers and voters by surprise when he announced the election date, has said he was "incredibly angry" to hear about the allegations.

The opposition Labour Party said it was a sign of Sunak's "staggeringly weak leadership" that it had taken him so long to suspend the candidates. "The Conservatives who sought to line their own pockets by betting on the election date are not fit to be candidates for parliament," Jonathan Ashworth, a Labour shadow minister, said in a statement, demanding Sunak disclose the number of Conservatives who were implicated in the probe and name them.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)