Rishi Sunak 'not aware' of other Tory candidates facing betting probes

ITV Political Correspondent Shehab Khan explains how the Tory Party's betting scandal is overshadowing its election campaign

Rishi Sunak said he was not aware of any other Tory candidates being investigated by the gambling watchdog, and ruled out that he was facing a probe himself.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, the PM said: “I am not aware of any other candidates that they are looking into", after reports that more people with connections to Sunak placed bets on the date of the election.

He also revealed the Conservative Party is holding its own internal inquiry into betting allegations.

"In parallel we’ve been conducting our own internal inquiries, and of course we’ll act on any relevant findings or information from that and pass it onto the gambling commission", he told journalists.

The prime minister also said he had never placed a bet on politics since he'd been an MP, when asked by ITV News Political Correspondent Shehab Khan.

A cabinet minister said the scandal had become "a cloud" over the Conservative's election campaign.

As the election campaign enters its final full week before voters go to the polls, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said the allegations are "unbelievably unhelpful."

"No-one wants a cloud hanging over your campaign in any way shape or form, and this is a cloud," Heaton-Harris said.

The prime minister faced yet more questions on the scandal that has engulfed his party over the past week as he underwent a grilling on The Sun newspaper’s Never Mind The Ballots show on Monday evening.

Sunak stuck to his line that he would “not hesitate to act” if either external investigations or the Conservatives’ own internal inquiry found any evidence of wrongdoing.

Those already being investigated are the Conservative's chief data officer Nick Mason, director of campaigning Tony Lee, his wife and Tory candidate Laura Saunders, fellow candidate Craig Williams, who was a parliamentary aide to the PM, and one of Sunak's close protection officers.

ITV News understands that on top of the five individuals already being investigated, the gambling watchdog is also looking into "many names" linked to the Conservative Party and the government who bet on the July election.

Political Editor Robert Peston reported on Sunday that after Williams placed a bet on the election, the booking giant Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Corals, notified the Gambling Commission.

The watchdog then wrote to all gambling companies requesting details of any individual who had bet £20 or more on the July election, within days of the PM calling it on May 22.

This initial trawl yielded what industry sources say were “many names” and since then the Commission has been combing through the internet and social media to establish who they are and whether they have links to the Conservative Party or government.

Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood urged the PM to take action over the allegations in an interview on Monday.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Ellwood said he wants to see "robust action" from Sunak.

The MP for Bournemouth East said the government should make new rules to stop politicians or party officials from placing bets: "Let’s introduce clear rules, as you have in the City in connection to the purchase of stocks and shares for example, let’s prevent any current politician or party professional from placing any bets in the future.

"That will send a clear message to the public that this sad incident is being taken seriously and it won’t happen again."

The prime minister has been attempting to push ahead with his campaigning, despite the agenda being dominated by the betting scandal.

On Monday morning he launching the Scottish Tory manifesto, telling Scottish voters in a speech: “Don’t surrender to Labour. Fight for every vote, fight for our values, fight for our vision of Britain.”

Visiting a school in the East Midlands, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said "it's the middle of an election, and Rishi Sunak needs to show some leadership."

Asked why he was calling for candidates to be suspended before investigations have concluded, after he and his deputy remained in post during now closed police probes, Starmer said there's a "material difference" between the two situations.

"The Tories caught up in this gambling escapade are only admitting that they did it, there's no issue here about that."

Only one of the people who allegedly placed an election bet has admitted to doing so - the PM's close aide Craig Williams.

Williams admitted to placing a £100 bet on the election after reports came out in the media - "I put a flutter on the general election some weeks ago. This has resulted in some routine inquiries and I confirm I will fully cooperate with these", he said.

"I don't want to be a distraction from the campaign, I should have thought through how it looked," he wrote on X.

Cabinet minister Heaton-Harris also accused Starmer of trying to influence the independent investigation by the gambling watchdog and "make political capital."

"Labour wrote to the Gambling Commission at the weekend... writing to them to try and get them to do things... is not the right way to go about your business", he said.

The close protection officer who allegedly placed a bet on the election date has been arrested by the Metropolitan Police, on top of the investigation by the gambling watchdog.

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