Betting Scandal Rocks Sunak's Final Week Campaign

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed his anger over a betting scandal involving Conservative Party candidates as he took on Labour's Keir Starmer in the final televised debate before the July 4 general election. The campaign has been highlighted by heated exchanges on taxes and immigration.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has described himself as "furious" about the scandal that has overshadowed some of his Conservative Party candidates, who have been found betting on the date of the general election, which is set for July 4. This controversy emerged during the final week of the campaign.

In the last televised debate before the polls on Wednesday night, Sunak—Britain's first Prime Minister of Indian heritage—faced Labour's Keir Starmer. Sunak was in full attack mode, challenging Starmer on critical issues such as taxes. "Mark my words," the 44-year-old prime minister said, pointing at Starmer, "your taxes are going up if he is in charge." Immigration policies were another contentious topic, with both leaders trading criticisms over the lack of clear solutions to illegal migration, while Sunak cautioned voters against "surrendering" the country's borders to Labour. Despite Sunak's strong performance in the debate, the betting scandal continued to dominate the headlines.

Starmer seized the opportunity to criticize Sunak's delayed response to allegations against his party members. "You have to lead from the front on issues like this. When one of my team was alleged to have been involved and investigated by the Gambling Commission, they were suspended within minutes," Starmer said, referring to a Labour candidate under investigation for betting against his own success. "The Prime Minister delayed and delayed until he was finally pressured into taking action," added the 61-year-old Labour leader.

Sunak, expressing his frustration over the situation, announced the suspension of two Conservative candidates under investigation following an internal inquiry. "Given the seriousness and sensitivity of the matters at hand, they were handled properly, and that's what I've done," he emphasized.

Meanwhile, four protesters were arrested on suspicion of trespassing on the grounds of Sunak's constituency home in North Yorkshire, while he was away on the campaign trail. North Yorkshire Police reported that the arrests occurred "within one minute" of the individuals entering the property. The arrests are linked to a protest by Youth Demand, a group of young activists advocating for a two-way arms embargo on Israel and the cessation of new oil and gas licences.

Heading into the final week of the election campaign, both leaders plan to focus on pivotal swing constituencies, starting in the Midlands region of England. Despite Labour holding a consistent 20-point lead in pre-poll surveys, the campaign remains heated as the Conservatives, who have governed for 14 years, face an uphill battle.

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