- author, Kate Whannell
- role, Political reporter
-
Rishi Sunak said he was “not aware of any other” Conservative election candidates being investigated by the Gambling Commission for allegedly placing bets on election day.
He confirmed the party was carrying out its own internal investigation “in parallel” with the Gambling Commission’s investigation.
The committee has not said who it is investigating but the names of four Conservative Party members have emerged so far, two of whom are running for election.
Sunak is facing pressure from parts of his own party as well as the opposition to suspend both candidates.
Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood said the report was “completely unhelpful” and that people wanted “strong action”.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “Rishi Sunak needs to show leadership. If these people had been my candidates I can honestly say they would be gone. They would not have their feet on the ground.”
He dismissed the Conservative party’s internal investigation as “designed with one aim – to push this issue to the other side of the election”.
Northern Ireland Minister Chris Heaton-Harris defended the First Minister, telling the BBC that people are “not guilty until proven innocent” and that the regulator should have the right to “continue” its investigations.
Allegations of election day gambling first emerged earlier this month against one of the Prime Minister’s closest aides, Craig Williams, who reportedly bet £100 three days before the date of July’s polling was announced.
Mr Williams, who is standing for the Conservative party in Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr, told the BBC he had made a “significant error of judgement” but refused to say whether he had made the bet based on inside information.
If someone uses confidential information when placing a bet to gain an unfair advantage, it may be a criminal offence under Section 42 of the Gambling Act.
The Conservative candidate for Bristol North West, Laura Sanders, and her partner, Tony Lee, the Conservative campaign manager, are also under investigation, as is the party’s chief data officer, Nick Mason.
A spokesman for Mr Mason said he denies any wrongdoing. Both he and Mr Lee have taken leave from their party posts.
The BBC understands that the Gambling Commission’s investigation involves more people than those previously made public, and that other people with links to the ruling party are also being investigated.
Mr Sunak told reporters in Edinburgh he was not aware of details of the Gambling Commission’s investigation but said the party was conducting its own “internal investigation”.
He added that he would “act on any relevant findings” and convey the information to the committee.
He also acknowledged that he is not a target of the investigation and that he has never gambled on politics during his time as a member of parliament.
On Monday evening the Prime Minister was pressed again by The Sun’s political editor, Harry Cole, about whether he should have simply questioned those who told him about the election date before it was announced.
Mr Sunak said he did not want to “undermine the integrity” of other investigations, but added: “I have been very clear: if anyone breaks the rules they should not only face the full force of the law but be expelled from the Conservative party.”
The same day, Mr Ellwood, the Conservative candidate for Bournemouth East, said the scandal had been “completely unhelpful”.
Asked whether Mr Sunak should withdraw the Conservative party’s support for Mr Williams and Mr Sanders, Mr Ellwood said: “Given the scale of what we’re seeing and the potential for this to continue to overshadow and cast a shadow over the election, I would now agree.”
“The public now wants clear and strong action.”
Jo Johnson, a Conservative peer and former minister, told BBC’s Newsnight there was “huge frustration” among Conservative candidates and campaigners that the affair was still “ongoing” because “Downtown has failed to get to the truth”.
He called on the Prime Minister to take “decisive action”.
“Obviously, no one can understand why he is the only one who is not suspended when others in similar circumstances could be,” he added.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “I think the Conservatives can do more.”
“It seems to me, as has happened so many times in this Parliament, that they are acting in their own interest and not in the public interest.”
Labor’s elections coordinator, Pat McFadden, wrote to the Gambling Commission on Sunday calling for it to “publicise the names of other individuals” under investigation.
In a response seen by the BBC, the regulator’s chief executive Andrew Rose said: “We understand the desire for information but, in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation and ensure a fair and impartial outcome, we are unable to comment on any details at this time, including on names of suspects.”
