Who are all the people accused of election betting?
By Maya Bowles, Westminster Producer
A gambling scandal has consumed the election campaign for the last week, with a number of people connected to the prime minister accused of placing bets on the date of the election.
At the time of writing, there are five Conservative candidates or officials who are being investigated by the Gambling Commission.
This is alongside one of Rishi Sunak's close protection officers, another six Met Police officers, and reports of many more individuals being looked into.
The Labour Party has also suspended a candidate being investigated for a bet he placed that Conservatives would win in the seat he's contesting.
The drama around betting on the date of the election has also sparked wider concerns around political betting - with a number of candidates in the election disclosing that they have gambled on political matters in the past.
The Gambling Commission on Wednesday asked betting companies to supply information on whether parliamentary candidates have placed bets on themselves losing their respective seats.
But who are all the people being investigated? And what about those who have admitted to election bets but aren't being probed? ITV News explains.
Craig Williams
Craig Williams was the prime minister's parliamentary aide, and is currently running for re-election in the seat of Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr in Wales.
After reports emerged in the media, Williams admitted to placing a £100 bet on the election date.
"I put a flutter on the General Election some weeks ago", he said.
After pressure to suspend candidates accused of placing election bets, the Tory party announced they were withdrawing support for Williams and another candidate Laura Saunders.
Because nominations have closed, Williams will still appear on the ballot paper as a Conservative candidate, but the party won't be campaigning for him.
Williams posted a video on social media on Tuesday saying he "committed an error of judgement, not an offence", insisting "I intend to clear my name."
Laura Saunders
Laura Saunders is another candidate in the General Election, standing in the seat of Bristol North West.
She is married to the Tory party's Director of Campaigning Tony Lee, who is also being investigated.
The Tory party also withdrew support for Saunders, who has not admitted to placing any bets, or commented publicly on the allegations.
Saunders' lawyer said she is "co-operating with the Gambling Commission", and hit out at the media for reporting the story.
She is threatening legal action against the BBC, who first broke the news about her being investigated, saying: "The publication of the BBC's story is premature and is a clear infringement of Ms Saunders' privacy rights."
Tony Lee
Tony Lee is a key figure in Sunak's team behind the scenes, working as the Tory party's director of campaigning.
He is married to Laura Saunders, who is also being investigated by the gambling watchdog.
Last Wednesday, the Conservatives revealed Lee had taken a leave of absence from the party, leaving them without a campaign boss just two weeks before voters go to the polls.
Nick Mason
Another top Tory official being investigated for alleged bets on the election date is Nick Mason, the party's chief data officer.
A spokesman for Mason said he denies wrongdoing, and it would be inappropriate to comment during an investigation.
The revelations about him were first reported by The Sunday Times newspaper.
Russell George
The fifth Conservative revealed to be facing a betting probe is Russell George, who is a Tory member of the Welsh Parliament.
George represents Montgomeryshire in the Senedd, and has stepped back from the Welsh shadow cabinet as he faces an investigation by the betting watchdog.
George represents the same area in the Welsh parliament that Williams is standing in for the Westminster election.
Welsh Conservative Leader Andrew RT Davies said on Tuesday: “Russell George has informed me that he has received a letter from the Gambling Commission regarding bets on the timing of the General Election.
“Russell George has stepped back from the Welsh Conservative shadow cabinet while these investigations are ongoing.
“All other members of the Welsh Conservative Group have confirmed that they have not placed any bets."
Kevin Craig
After the scandal engulfing the Conservative Party's election campaign, news broke on Tuesday that Labour candidate Kevin Craig was also being investigated by the gambling watchdog.
But rather than betting on the date of the election, Craig bet that he would lose the seat he is contesting to the Tories.
Craig is standing in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, but Labour suspended him from the party, and therefore withdrew support for him after they were contacted by the Gambling Commission.
The communications company boss admitted he "deeply regrets" placing the bet on himself, calling it a "stupid error."
ITV News understands the Labour Party will return £100,000 in donations that Craig has made during Sir Keir Starmer's leadership.
Close protection officer and other police officers
One person being investigated who we do not know the identity of is one of Sunak's close protection officers.
The Met Police announced last Wednesday they had suspended and arrested an officer on suspicion of misconduct in a public office.
The force said they took action after the Gambling Commission contacted them to confirm they were investigating alleged bets made by the officer in the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command.
The Met Police have also confirmed a further five officers are being investigated by the gambling watchdog.
None of the additional five are in a close protection role, but the Met says they are "based on the Royalty and Specialist Command, the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command and the Central West Basic Command Unit."
Other individuals who have admitted to bets:
Alister Jack
Serving Cabinet Minister Alister Jack has also become involved with the gambling scandal, after the BBC revealed he told the broadcaster he made more than £2,000 from betting on the election date - but later dismissed the comments as a “joke”.
He admitted that in April he placed a £20 bet at odds of five-to-one on an election being held between July and September.
He said he had no knowledge of when it would be called until the day that Sunak fired the starting gun on May 22.
In a statement released late on Tuesday, the minister said: “Following reports today I want to be absolutely clear I have not breached any gambling rules.”
He said that in March, he placed two unsuccessful bets on the date of the election of £5 for a vote to be held in May and June respectively, then made the third wager in April.
Jack added: “As I have said previously, I placed no bets in May and am not under investigation by the Gambling Commission.”
Ed Davey
When asked by ITV News if he had ever placed a bet on an election, Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey said he bet on Lib Dem results at the 2010 election and in a 2021 by-election.
But he insisted he has never bet on himself in any election.
Wes Streeting
Labour's Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting told ITV News he once successfully bet on Sajid Javid becoming the next health secretary - which he had no inside knowledge of.
Streeting told ITV News' Carl Dinnen on Wednesday that he made an "educated guess" about then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision making.
ITV News understands this was during the time he had stepped back from frontline politics to recover from cancer.
Karl McCartney
Tory candidate for Lincoln Karl McCartney told ITV Calendar he's placed a bet on himself to win his seat.
When asked if he'd ever placed a bet of any kind on an election, he said: "Yes - on myself, to win. Not to lose, like the Labour party."
"You've got to have the faith and conviction in what you're doing and I'm looking forward to next Thursday", he said.
Philip Davies
Tory candidate Philip Davies told ITV News he placed a bet that his wife Esther McVey would win the seat she's seeking re-election for.
How many other people are being investigated?
ITV News reported at the weekend that the Gambling Commission is investigating "many names" from the Conservative party and the government.
ITV's Political Editor Robert Peston said the watchdog has written to all the gambling companies requesting details of any individual who had bet £20 or more on that July election, within days of the PM calling it on May 22.
The BBC revealed on Wednesday that up to 15 Tory party candidates and officials are being looked at by the betting watchdog.
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