TWO Tory candidates have been dumped after they were accused of betting on the date of the General Election.
A Conservative spokesperson said the party “can no longer support” Craig Williams, who served as a parliamentary aide to Rishi Sunak before the election, or Laura Saunders.
Both are under investigation by the Gambling Commission over allegations they bet on the timing of the election.
Williams (below) has admitted to having "put a flutter" on the date and said this was a "huge error of judgment".
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.”
Later on Tuesday, Labour suspended their candidate Kevin Craig for allegedly betting against himself.
Williams, who was the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, is contesting the Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr seat in Wales, while Saunders is running in Bristol North West.
Williams said he “committed an error of judgment, not an offence”.
Saunders, a party official, is married to Tony Lee who last week took a leave of absence as the Tories’ director of campaigns after he was put under investigation for betting on the timing of the election.
The scandal has undermined an already shaky Tory campaign, with the party under intense pressure from its rivals and some on its own side to suspend the candidates.
But earlier on Tuesday, Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross (below) defended the Prime Minister’s previous refusal to take action, saying it was “right” the Gambling Commission was “not hindered in any way in terms of getting to the truth” in the course of its investigation.
Speaking on the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland, Ross said: “People have a right to defend themselves and they are able to do that.”
Labour’s shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth (below) said: “It is yet another example of Rishi Sunak’s staggeringly weak leadership that it has taken him nearly two weeks to see what was obvious to everyone else.
"The Conservatives who sought to line their own pockets by betting on the election date are not fit to be candidates for Parliament.
“Rishi Sunak now needs to come clean with voters across the country and tell them exactly how many of his Conservatives are implicated and who they are.”
It remains unclear exactly how many people in the Conservative Party or the Government are under investigation.
A member of Sunak’s close protection team has been arrested and suspended amid the Gambling Commission’s investigation.
Also implicated is Nick Mason, another Tory head office employee who has taken a leave of absence.
Saunders has previously said she is considering taking legal action against the BBC and other outlets who had reported on the investigation, claiming it was a breach of her privacy.
The Tories previously said they had been contacted by the Commission about “a small number of individuals” who had allegedly placed bets on a July election.
ITV reported on Monday that more people than had been named publicly were under investigation.
A spokesperson for the Gambling Commission said it was investigating the "possibility of offences concerning the date of the election".
They added: "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.”
