Conservative Party Withdraws Support For Betting Scandal Candidates

The Conservative Party has withdrawn its support for one of Rishi Sunak's closest allies, Craig Williams, who placed a bet on the date of the election.

Laura Saunders has also been dropped as the candidate in Bristol North West after she like Williams was also placed under investigation by the Gambling Commission, the party said on Tuesday.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: "As a result of ongoing internal enquiries, 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."

Williams, who is running to be re-elected as the MP for Montgomeryshire, has apologised for placing his £100 bet on the election date and described it as a "huge error of judgement". He has refused to say whether he had inside information prior to making the bet. 

As Sunak's parliamentary private secretary, Williams is seen as one of the Prime Minister's closest allies in politics.

He will still run as the Conservative candidate in the Welsh seat on 4 July because it is too late to change the wording on the ballot paper. But the party will now not provide him with funds to fight his seat. 

Williams is defending a 12,138 majority and according to recent polling is slightly favoured to see off the challenge of Labour. 

It is not known how much money Saunders placed on the date of the General Election.. She has worked for the party since 2015 and is married to Conservative Party's director of campaigns, Tony Lee. "Tony Lee is one of the most outstandingly mediocre humans ever to have weaselled his way