LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s Conservative Party has withdrawn support from two parliamentary candidates “as a result of ongoing internal enquiries,” relating to alleged bets placed on the timing of a July 4 national election, it said on Tuesday.
“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,” a spokesperson for the party, which polls predict is set to lose the vote, said.
Williams, a close aide to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, apologised earlier this month for placing a bet on when the election would happen.
The scandal escalated last week when media reported the country’s regulator, the Gambling Commission, was looking into allegations of improper betting by a second candidate, Saunders, and her husband Tony Lee, the party’s campaign director.
Lee has taken a leave of absence from his role.
The Conservative spokesperson said it had checked with the Gambling Commission to ensure its decision to withdraw support did not compromise their ongoing probe.
(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar, writing by Muvija M, Editing by Kylie MacLellan)