Betting scandal engulfs UK election – POLITICO

British rules mean the date of an election is largely in the prime minister’s gift. Sunak took the country by surprise when he announced a snap poll for July 4.

But it has since been revealed that two separate Conservative candidates and — in the latest bombshell — the party’s own director of campaigning, Tony Lee, are being probed by Britain’s Gambling Commission over bets placed on the timing of the vote.

Craig Williams, a Tory candidate and parliamentary aide to the prime minister, was the first to come under scrutiny. He is alleged to have placed a £100 bet on the timing of the poll just days before Sunak went public and called the vote. He’s apologized for a “huge error of judgment” and admitted he had a “flutter” on the election.

The BBC revealed Wednesday night that Tory candidate Laura Sanders, who recently worked in Conservative HQ, was also being looked into by the watchdog. Labour are calling for her head.

Saunders is the wife of Lee, the Conservatives’ director of campaigning. Lee himself is also, the BBC reported, under investigation for a bet on the timing of the election. The party confirmed Lee, meant to be steering the Conservative ship, has taken a leave of absence with two weeks still to run on the campaign trail.

“We have been contacted by the Gambling Commission about a small number of individuals. As the Gambling Commission is an independent body, it wouldn’t be proper to comment further, until any process is concluded,” a Conservative Party spokesperson said.