Fourth Tory official reportedly investigated for election bets

A fourth Conservative is reportedly being looked into by the Gambling Commission over bets allegedly placed on the date of the general election.

The Sunday Times is reporting that a senior Conservative Party official allegedly placed dozens of bets, which the paper says could have generated winnings of thousands of pounds.

A spokesman for the official told the paper that he denied wrongdoing, while the Tory party said it was “not permitted to discuss any matters related” to any Gambling Commission investigation.

The BBC has previously reported that two Conservative election candidates and another party official are also being investigated.

The Liberal Democrats accused the Conservatives of being “mired” in sleaze, while Tory minister Michael Gove compared the situation to the partygate scandal.

Both Laura Saunders and Craig Williams have confirmed they were being investigated by the Gambling Commission.

Laura Saunders, the party’s candidate in Bristol North West, has worked for the Tories since 2015.

Ms Saunders’s partner is the Conservative director of campaigning Tony Lee, who is also being looked at over an alleged bet. He has taken a leave of absence from his job.

The allegations of gambling on the election date fist emerged against one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s closest aides, Craig Williams, who reportedly placed a £100 bet on a July polling day three days before the date was named.

Mr Williams, who was the Tory MP for Montgomery until the election was called and is standing again in the new constituency of Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, previously apologised and said he made a “huge error of judgement”.

When asked by the BBC, he refused to say whether he placed a bet on the basis of inside information.

Following the latest allegation, a Conservative spokesman said: “As instructed by the Gambling Commission, we are not permitted to discuss any matters related to any investigation with the subject or any other persons.”

Last week, Mr Sunak said he had been “incredibly angry” to learn about the allegations, promising to “boot out” anyone found to have broken gambling laws from the Conservative Party.