Tory candidate in election betting scandal says he hasn't committed 'an offence'

In a scandal that seems to run and run, the betting furore has continued to plague the Conservative party. But today, Labour also suffered a blow as one candidate bet on himself to lose at the ballot box, ITV News' Shehab Khan reports

A Tory candidate accused of betting on the election says he has not committed "an offence", after the Conservative Party withdrew their support for him over the scandal

Craig Williams said he remained on the ballot paper and intended to clear his name after being dropped by the Conservatives over betting on the date of the General Election.

Tory Senedd member Russell George, who represents the same constituency in which Williams is running, has also received a letter from the Gambling Commission about betting on the timing of the General Election.

Welsh Conservatives leader, Andrew Davies announced that Mr George would "step back" from his Shadow Cabinet position and that all other members of his group have confirmed they haven't placed any bets.

In a video posted on X, Mr Williams said: “I just want a quick message to the constituents of Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr. I remain on the ballot paper come July 4 and I hope to secure your support after years of delivery.

“I committed an error of judgment, not an offence, and I want to reiterate my apology directly to you.

“I am fully co-operating with routine inquiries from the Gambling Commission and I intend to clear my name.”

The Conservative Party announced earlier on Tuesday that they had withdrawn support for Williams and another candidate, Laura Saunders, after they were both implicated in the General Election betting row.

Rishi Sunak had been under mounting pressure within the party to take a tougher stance on the alleged use of inside information to bet on the timing of the July 4 poll, after it emerged five people with connections to him are being investigated by the betting watchdog.

Two of those people are running to be Conservative MPs in the election, but Mr Williams - who was the prime minister’s parliamentary aide - and Ms Saunders, who is standing in Bristol North West, will no longer have the support of the party.

Because nominations have closed, Mr Williams – who is standing in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr – and Ms Saunders will both still be on the ballot paper as Conservative candidates.

The withdrawal of support means the party won't campaign for them, and is effectively therefore not standing candidates in those seats.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “As a result of ongoing internal inquiries, we have concluded that we can no longer support Craig Williams or Laura Saunders as parliamentary candidates at the forthcoming General Election.

“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.”

Alongside Mr Williams and Ms Saunders, two of Sunak's close team are also being investigated - Ms Saunders' husband and Director of Campaigning Tony Lee, and Chief Data Officer Nick Mason, along with one of the prime minister's close protection officers, who has not been identified.

On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police revealed they have received information from the gambling watchdog about another five officers who allegedly placed bets on when the election would take place.

A Met Police spokesperson said: “It is still the case that only one officer is under criminal investigation.

“We have, however, been passed information from the Gambling Commission alleging that five further officers have placed bets related to the timing of the election.

“The Gambling Commission continues to investigate these matters. The officers have not been arrested but the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed."

The force also gave more details on the officers' roles - with none of the additional five being in a close protection position.

“The officers are based on the Royalty and Specialist Command, the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command and the Central West Basic Command Unit.

“Decisions on whether they will be subject to any restrictions will be taken in due course.”

Last night, serving Cabinet Minister Steve Baker told ITV's Peston programme that the PM should take more decisive action: "I would call them up and ask if they did it, if they did it, then they're suspended. But the PM will have to answer why he hasn't done it," he said.

Former Tory Cabinet Minister Lord Frost posted on X: "We get there in the end. But why did it take so long to come to a decision that seemed so necessary right from the start?"

Reacting to the latest development in the betting drama, Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer asked: “Why didn’t that happen a week ago?”

Labour's National Campaign Co-ordinator Pat McFadden said Sunak has shown "weak leadership", criticising the fact that it's taken the PM "the best part of two week to act on this."

"What the whole thing shows is that if the Conservative Party won again on July 4, they will think they can get away with anything."

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.

Mr Williams has 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 at the time.

But Ms Saunders has said she is considering suing the BBC over infringement of her privacy rights. Her lawyer said she "will be cooperating with the Gambling Commission".

On Monday, the PM said he was not aware of any other candidates being looked into by the gambling watchdog, and that he wasn't being investigated himself.

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.

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