Dear oh dear. Now it transpires that a second Tory election candidate is facing scrutiny over an alleged bet related to the timing of the national poll. Laura Saunders, the party’s candidate for Bristol North West and a former CCHQ staffer, is being investigated by the Gambling Commission – the second Conservative candidate to face questions on bets in so many weeks. Mr S understands that it is not currently known when the alleged bet was placed – or for how much money.
Saunders has worked in the Tory party since 2015 and was most recently involved in the International Division of CCHQ, which works with a range of political parties across the world. Saunders is married to the Conservative party’s director of campaigns, Tony Lee, who took a leave of absence from party headquarters on Wednesday. It has now been revealed that Lee is also being investigated by the Gambling Commission over an alleged bet related to the general election timing.
The revelation comes after it emerged that Craig Williams, the Prime Minister’s closest parliamentary aide, placed a £100 bet on there being a July election — just three days before a rain-soaked Rishi Sunak announced the date to the public. The Conservative candidate for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr placed a bet with Ladbrokes on Sunday 19 May and with odds of 5/1, Williams was set to receive £500. Yet after the bet was placed, Steerpike understands that Williams was subsequently flagged up as a ‘politically exposed person’ by the bookmaker, which was keeping tabs on ‘novelty’ markets.
Using confidential information to one’s advantage when placing a bet may constitute a criminal offence and neither the Conservative party nor the Gambling Commission will comment much more on the detail. Stay tuned…
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