The Conservative Party’s director of campaigning has taken a “leave of absence” as his wife is investigated over an alleged bet on the election date.
Tony Lee stepped away from his role on Wednesday, CCHQ confirmed.
It comes after his wife Laura Sanders became the second Tory candidate to face an investigation from the Gambling Commission over alleged betting offences.
A Conservative spokesman said: “The director of campaigning took a leave of absence from CCHQ yesterday.”
News of the investigation into Ms Saunders, the party’s candidate in Bristol North West, followed the arrest of one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s police protection officers and a Gambling Commission investigation into his parliamentary aide Craig Williams over betting allegations.
A Conservative spokesman said: “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.”
According to the BBC, Mr Lee is also being looked at by the Gambling Commission.
The Gambling Commission said: “Currently the commission is investigating the possibility of offences concerning the date of the election.
“This is an ongoing investigation, and the commission cannot provide any further details at this time.”
Ms Saunders was the head of the international department at the Conservative Party, working with London embassies and the Tories’ sister parties overseas.
Ms Saunders had previously worked on organising campaign visits in the 2017 and 2019 elections.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said his opponent Rishi Sunak “just needs to take action” against those involved in alleged bets.
“It’s astonishing that we’re in this place,” said Sir Keir.
He added: “However many people already have been identified as potentially involved in this – but I’m hearing the news that there may be more – but the Government, Rishi Sunak, just needs to take action.
“He needs to account for exactly who knew what.
“But, also, when you’ve got a candidate standing for an election in two weeks who’s involved in this, they’ve got to go. They’ve got to be suspended. And I don’t know why he hasn’t done that.
“I think it is a real measure of his leadership – or lack of leadership.”
Photographer: Stefan Rousseau
Provider: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire
Source: PA
Copyright: live
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said: “I can tell how the world will think it looks, which is ‘not great’, but I can’t get into, I can’t know, what conversations were had, with whom, at what time. It’s quite properly being investigated now.”
Mr Gove had earlier said: “I can tell you how unhappy I am and I know that there are lots of candidates out there who are deeply unhappy at this, and of course members of the public who will be looking on with a mixture of surprise and consternation, but there’s a process and we’ve got to allow that process to conclude.”
Labour’s campaign co-ordinator Pat McFadden has written to the Prime Minister calling for the candidates’ suspension and questioning “how wide this scandal goes”.
He said that given the police officer had been removed from their duties, “surely you can understand that – yet again – this looks as though there is one rule for members of the Tory party, and another rule for everyone else”.
“If you can see how wrong that is, will you now at the very least remove your support for Mr Williams and Ms Saunders as Conservative election candidates?
“The other major question to be addressed is how wide this scandal goes.
“If some of your most senior colleagues felt they had carte blanche to misuse the inside information they had on the election in order to make a profit, we must ask how many others had advance access to the same information, and placed bets either by themselves, or through their friends and family?”
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “It would be an utter disgrace if Conservative politicians were shown to be more focused on turning a quick buck rather than the needs of the country.”
The rules on betting
Using confidential or “inside” information to gain an unfair advantage when betting may constitute a criminal offence.
Gamblers are not allowed to use inside information to place a bet or to instruct someone else to do so on their behalf.
They are also not allowed to pass inside information on to someone else which they use for betting.
Rules around placing bets on the basis of so-called “inside information” are set out in the Gambling Act.
A Gambling Commission policy position paper dated August 2018 clarified that inside information is information known by an individual or individuals as a “result of their role in connection with an event and which is not in the public domain”.
If someone uses confidential information in order to gain an unfair advantage when betting, this may constitute an offence of cheating under Section 42 of the act, which is a criminal offence.
Section 42 sets out how someone can be seen as committing an offence if they cheat at gambling or do anything for the purpose of enabling or assisting another person to cheat at gambling.
Those found guilty could face up to two years in prison, a fine, or both.
A Gambling Commission spokesman said: “The Gambling Commission regulates gambling in the interests of consumers and the wider public.
“Currently the Commission is investigating the possibility of offences concerning the date of the election.
“This is an ongoing investigation and the Commission cannot provide any further details at this time.
“We are not confirming or denying the identity of any individuals involved in this investigation.”