Facing enormous pressure, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has withdrawn party support from two Conservative colleagues embroiled in the gambling controversy over the date of general elections. With a little more than a week to go for the July 4 polls, this move comes amid days of controversy dominating the campaign headlines, with the Opposition demanding suspension of the accused.
Mr Williams and Laura Saunders would no longer be supported as candidates at the general election, a Conservative Party spokesman said. Williams was to stand in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr in Wales, while Saunders was the candidate for Bristol North West in England.
"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," said the spokesperson. "We have checked with the Gambling Commission that this decision does not compromise the investigation that they are conducting, which is rightly independent and ongoing.
The scandal has put immense pressure on Sunak to take action, even from within his own party. Saunders is the wife of Tony Lee, the Tory director of campaigns, while Williams works as a close parliamentary aide to Sunak. Sunak expressed anger over the revelation but did not want to interfere with the independent probe which the Gambling Commission had begun. So this latest move has to point to evidence of misconduct having been found.
The eleventh-hour change to the campaign means both candidates will still appear on the ballot paper as representing the Conservative Party, but if elected would be registered as Independent MPs until inquiries are concluded. It emerged as the Metropolitan Police revealed the Gambling Commission is probing allegations against five more officers, following the arrest of a Met Police officer on suspicion of misconduct earlier this month.
While betting itself is not illegal in the UK, placing bets based on insider information is. When Sunak announced the July 4 election date, it was a well-guarded secret known only to a few close aides of the PM. Connecting those dots, Section 42 of the UK's Gambling Act 2005sesses a crime by the name of "cheating at gambling" or letting someone else "cheat at gambling". If prosecuted, this offense can attract a jail term.
The Gambling Commission has confirmed it is investigating possible offences linked to the election date but would not disclose any information about the probe. "We are not confirming or denying the identity of any individuals involved in this investigation," a spokesman said.
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