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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Politics
Andrew Sparrow (now) and Helen Sullivan (earlier)

Starmer says he would not let SNP hold new independence referendum or lift veto on gender recognition bill – as it happened

​​Rishi Sunak United Kingdom No 10 the Conservative Party Craig Williams Laura Saunders Sir Keir Starmer Tony Lee SNP the Gambling Commission
Labour leader Keir Starmer takes a selfie during a visit to Bathgate in Scotland.
Labour leader Keir Starmer takes a selfie during a visit to Bathgate in Scotland. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Stuart Rose, the Tory peer and Asda chairman, has told Times Radio that he would “leave the country” if Nigel Farage become Tory leader.

Rishi Sunak’s favourability ratings are now lower than Boris Johnson’s or Jeremy Corbyn’s ever were at their worst, polling from YouGov suggests.

Labour raised almost six times as much in donations as Tories in first 2 weeks of campaign, figures show

The Conservatives raised less than £300,000 in the second week of the election as the party’s campaign continued to falter, PA Media reports. PA says:

Figures from the Electoral Commission released today show the party raised just £292,500 between 6 and 12 June and, taking its total donations for the campaign to £889,000.

That figure is significantly below the £8.7m the Tories raised in the first two weeks of the 2019 campaign.

The top donations were two contributions of £50,000 from Bestway Wholesale, ultimately owned by Tory peer Lord Zameer Choudrey through the Guernsey-based Bestway Group, and an organisation called “The Spring Lunch”.

The Spring Lunch is an unincorporated association, so does not have to provide records of who controls it, but does list an address in Pulham St Mary, Norfolk, in its details with the Electoral Commission.

The reluctance of donors to contribute to the Tory campaign adds to Rishi Sunak’s woes at the end of a week in which a series of polls predicted he was on course for a record defeat and his campaign was overshadowed by allegations about gambling.

In contrast, Labour raised £4.4m in the second week of the election thanks in part to a £2.5m donation from former supermarket boss Lord David Sainsbury.

Other significant Labour donors include Autoglass chief Gary Lubner, who gave £900,000, and hedge fund manager Martin Taylor, who gave £700,000.

Trade union Aslef provided £100,000 to the party, as did former Cable and Wireless executive Nick Razey.

Labour’s total donations for the first two weeks of the campaign amounted to £5.3m.

Reform UK raised £742,000 in the second week of the campaign, largely thanks to a £500,000 donation from Britain Means Business Ltd, a company controlled by party chairman Richard Tice.

The party also received £50,000 from former pop star and Neighbours actor Holly Valance, who hosted a fundraising event for former US president Donald Trump in London two weeks after his conviction for falsifying business records.

It had been reported that Reform had received £1.5m since Nigel Farage declared he would stand as a candidate in Clacton.

But the figures released on Friday show the party had raised £882,000 in major donations during the first two weeks of the campaign – only just below the figure received by the Conservatives.

The Liberal Democrats received £335,000 in the second week of the campaign, taking their total for the election to £789,999 in donations.

These figures mean that Labour raised almost six times as much in donations (£5.3m) as the Tories (£889,000) in the first two weeks of the campaign.

Here is Archie Bland’s Election Edition briefing.

Veterans minister Johnny Mercer accuses Labour opponent of exaggerating his military record

Johnny Mercer, the veterans minister, and his Labour opponent in Plymouth Moor View, Fred Thomas, are engaged in a bitter row over whether Thomas has misrepresented his military service. Both men are former soldiers.

Last night, after the two men appeared together at an election hustings, Mercer said that Thomas had lied when he said that he had served in combat. He said that when Thomas was asked to give details of his combat experience, he was not able to do so.

In response, Labour challenged Mercer to apologise. Thomas said that he had served his country for seven years, including on overseas operations, but that he was unable to discuss much of what he did.

And Labour presented journalists with a copy of his certificate of valediction, signed by the commanding officer of the Special Forces Support Group, confirming that Thomas had gained “considerable operational experience”, including overseas, serving with Commando Force unit and other specalist partner organisations.

In a video posted today, Thomas said that he had lived and served in a war zone, and that he had witnessed first-hand the horrors of war. He also said that he was engaged in sensitive operations that he could not talk about.

Shocked and disappointed by the hustings yesterday.

Service should be above political point scoring.

My time as Royal Marines Commando is a privilege of a lifetime. It would be an honour to serve Plymouth in Parliament, as I served our nation before

In response, Mercer posted his own video on social media restating his claim that Thomas was lying. Mercer said there was a difference between serving in a hostile environment, and taking part in combat missions where you might see your friends die.

I respect everyone’s service at all times - to sign up and serve in your Country commands respect. Just don’t lie about your service.

I will always be on the side of those who don’t lie about their service, and are - like me - offended by those who do.

To defend Thomas, Labour released a statement from Al Carns, a former Royal Marines Colonel and Labour’s PPC in Birmingham Selly Oak. He said:

Fred Thomas has served in high-threat war zones where the risk to life was a daily occurrence.

As a former Colonel, I believe service should be above politics , and we should honour and respect all those who have not only served but also been willing to put their lives at risk for the safety and security of the nation.

Mercer had a majority of just 12,897 in the seat at the last election, and all the MRP polls carried out during the campaign suggest he will lose to Labour.

Ofcom denies Farage's claim it has rigged broadcast election coverage rules to favour established parties

Earlier this week Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, claimed a vetting company was to blame for the fact that some of his party’s candidates have turned out to be racist or extremist. Because the company is run by a former Tory adviser, Farage hinted that this was part of a plot to discredit his party. There is no evidence to back this up, and the company involved said the problem was caused by lack of time, due to the election happening in the summer, not the autumn.

Now Farage has identified another conspiracy operating against his party. And he says it is being run by Ofcom, the broadcasting the regulator.

In a video posted on social media, Farage claims Ofcom are “almost rigging this in election in favour of the existing parties”.

Farage claims that in most parts of the country Reform UK is in second place, but he says the party is not getting the amount of broadcast coverage he thinks it should be receiving because of Ofcom’s rules about how much time should be allocated to particular parties.

In a post on X this morning, he even claimed the rules had been changed recently “to try to squeeze us out”.

I listened to BBC Radio 4 this morning.

You would not think that Reform UK were in this election at all, let alone polling second.

Ofcom have recently changed the broadcasting rules to try to squeeze us out. This is serious election interference.

In reponse, Ofcom said this was not true.

This is incorrect. Ofcom’s rules have not changed.
Broadcasters must give due weight to the coverage of political parties during an election period.
Appropriate levels of coverage must take into account evidence of past and/or current electoral support

The Ofcom rules say: “In determining the appropriate level of coverage to be given to parties and independent candidates broadcasters must take into account evidence of past electoral support and/or current support.”

In a news release, Reform UK says it is not getting more than 8% of broadcast news coverage, but that it should be getting more than double that because of “multiple polls showing Reform UK neck-and-neck with the Tories on around 19%”.

But while some polls have shown Reform UK neck-and-neck with the Tories, plenty of them haven’t. The Guardian’s poll tracker, which tracks average figures from all published opinion polls, shows the Tories six points ahead of Farage’s party, the FT’s tracker also shows them six points ahead, and Politico’s tracker has the Tories four points ahead.

If Ofcom is conspiring to keep Farage off the TV news, it does not seem to be having much success. Smaller parties like the Green regularly complain that he attracts far more news coverage than they do.

The Farage claim can be seen as evidence of how enthusiastically he is embracing populism, a political approach founded on assertions that the interests of “the people” are being thwarted by some sinister “elite”. Populism often overlaps with a willingness to promote conspiracy theories.

On the campaign trail in Wales, Rishi Sunak struggled to contain his frustration as the controversy over gambling on the election date continued to overshadow his efforts.

The prime minister continued to fall back on a line that he was “angry” about the affair. He used ongoing investigations by the police and gambling commission as a way of avoiding engagement with questions about what action he had tken himself and why he had not suspended Tory candidates caught up in the allegations.

Asked what he was angry at, he replied:

I was incredibly angry to learn about them when I did learn about them. They are very serious in nature, potentially criminal. The police are involved and that’s why it’s right that they are allowed to do their job with out anything compromising the integrity of those investigations.

After he gave a speech at an event in Kinmel Bay to launch the Welsh Tory manifesto, members of the press who used subsequent questions to press him on the gambling issue were heckled by some Conservative members who had been invited.

Sunak briefly stopped off for a photo opportunity afterwards at a farm shop owned by Gail and Clive Swan, who told reporters afterwards that they had voted for the Conservatives in 2019 but were now “on the fence” and wanted to know more about what parties were offering farmers.

Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, has said that Rishi Sunak should be taking “tougher action” in relation to the Tory candidates being investigated over electon date betting allegations. Davey said: “Too often in this parliament we have seen members of the Conservative party looking like they’re in it for themselves, not for public service and what’s in the best interests of the country.”

Starmer says he would not let SNP government hold 2nd independence referendum, or lift veto on its gender ID bill

Keir Starmer is in Scotland today and he had some interesting comments on independence, in response to the SNP’s manifesto which was published earlier this week and which doubled down on their push for a second referendum.

Starmer said categorically he would refuse to participate in negotiations for another independence referendum even if the SNP won a majority of seats.

The SNP leader John Swinney said at the manifesto launch that a win in Scotland for his party would be a mandate to push for a second vote. But, asked if he would speak to the Scottish government if that threshold was met, Starmer replied:

No. What the SNP are saying is that they want to go to Westminster to send a message, that’s the height of their ambition. I want Scotland to return Labour MPs who will sit at the heart of government.

He also effectively ruled out a second referendum within five years of the next government, which Swinney has suggested is a realistic possibility. He told reporters: “It’s never been a priority and I think the SNP have got the wrong priorities.”

He said he could “completely understand why people across Scotland want change, but that’s why this election is so important”.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar added:

People would find it perfectly reasonable that any incoming Labour government focused on actually changing the lives of people in Scotland and would want us to have the opportunity to do that rather than rushing to another divisive referendum.

Starmer also confirmed that he will not reverse the section 35 order blocking Holyrood’s gender recognition bill, which was imposed by the Tories. He said:

There will be no change of position on that and I think there’s a lot to learn on gender self-ID from the way it’s been dealt with in Scotland, which is why we’ve got a different proposition in our manifesto.

Referring to the Scottish government’s judicial review of that order, which failed, Sarwar said: “The court has made it very clear that the law as it currently stands doesn’t comply with the Equality Act and the primacy of the Equality Act is very important.”

Updated

According to PA Media, Rishi Sunak grew irritated when asked if Craig Williams, one of the two Tory candidates being investigated over election date betting allegations, would resume his position as Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary if the Tories won the election. Sunak said:

I’m not going to get into appointing members of the government right here, right now.

Sunak also insisted that it was not right to describe Williams as his current PPS. He said:

Parliament isn’t sitting, there aren’t any PPSs. I’m not an MP. No-one’s an MP, we’re all candidates, right? So that just doesn’t exist as a role at the moment.

Former Tory cabinet minister Nicky Morgan says party should suspend candidates under investigation over election bets

Nicky Morgan, the former Tory cabinet minister, told Times Radio this morning that Rishi Sunak should have suspended the two candidates being investigated in relation to election date betting allegations.

Morgan, who now sits in the House of Lords, said:

I’m glad Rishi Sunak has said what he has.

But should he suspend the candidates? Yes, of course he should.

I’m afraid once you get into an election campaign, usual rules don’t necessarily apply. I think you have to react swiftly if you’re a party leader.

And I’m also concerned with the Welsh secretary this morning saying people have broken rules. These aren’t rules. These are laws about not using inside information to place bets. And they need to be treated as potential breaches of the law.

The deadline has passed for parties to withdraw election candidates, and so there is nothing CCHQ can do any more to stop any of its candidates appearing on the ballot paper as a Conservative.

But the party could publicly disown these candidates, as Labour did with its Rochdale in the middle of a byelection campaign earlier this year. Or it could suspend their party membership.

Asked today why he did not immediately disown Craig Williams, his parliamentary aide, when it was revealed last week that he was being investigated over a supicious election date bet, Sunak said he wanted to allow the investigation into Williams to run its course.

Gambling Commission confirms probe into election date betting allegations covers potential criminal offences

The Gambling Commission has confirmed that the investigation into allegations relating to election date betting is into potential criminal offences.

The investigation is into the use of confidential information to place the bet, which would amount to cheating, which is a criminal offence.

The relevant legislation is section 42 of the 2005 Gambling Act, with the punishment being a fine or a maximum of two years’ imprisonment.

Under the legislation a person cheats at gambling if they do “anything for the purpose of enabling or assisting another person to cheat at gambling”.

The law also says: “It is immaterial whether a person who cheats improves his chances of winning anything, or wins anything.”

A Gambling Commission spokesperson 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.

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 Gambling Act, which is a criminal offence.

Starmer accuses Sunak of 'total lack of leadership' over Tory election date betting allegations

Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of showing a “total lack of leadership” over the Tory election date betting allegations. Speaking to broadcasters today, he said:

The prime minister is showing a total lack of leadership on this.

Let’s look at what actually happened. In relation to a general election, the instincts of these Tories when a general election is called is not how do we make this work for the country, but how do I make some money? And that tells you a broader picture about politics.

Of course, he should suspend these candidates. If they were my candidates, they would be gone by now, out of the door. You need to take tough action, but he’s not even saying today whether there’s more involved. [See 12.07pm.]

There’s a total lack of leadership. But it makes it clear the choice at this election of carrying on with the chaos, division and failure of last 14 years – on top of that, this politics of self entitlement.

I think we need to change that, and one of the big changes, if there’s a Labour government, is politics returned to service. It should be a public service, and I’m determined, if we get the chance, that that is the change that we’ll bring about.

Updated

Sunak urges voters not to 'sleepwalk' into Labour government

Rishi Sunak has also warned voters not to “sleepwalk” into a Labour government.

Speaking at the launch of the Welsh Conservative party’s manifesto, he said:

I warn you, don’t fall into Labour’s trap, don’t sleepwalk to July 4.

I know you want to send us a message, but this is not a byelection. It will determine who governs our country for the next five years and potentially much longer.

For if Labour get in they will change the rules so it’s much harder to ever get them out. They want to give 16-year-olds a vote not because on principle they think that they are adults, but because they think they’ll vote for them.

Once they have got power they will change every rule to make sure that they keep it. We can’t let that happen, friends, and it’s only we Conservatives who can stop it.

Sunak said he accepted people had their “frustrations” with the government. But he went on:

I have heard you, but once you have handed Keir Starmer and Labour a blank cheque, you cannot get it back.

Sunak sidesteps question about whether more Tories could be included in probe into election date betting allegations

Rishi Sunak has refused to say whether any more Conservative activists or candidates might be drawn into the Gambling Commission’s investigation into alleged suspicious betting on the date of the election.

Speaking in Wales, where he was asked if any more party members were implicated in the affair, Sunak said:

There is not much more I can add to what I have said previously. There are multiple investigations that are currently happening.

It is right that those investigations are allowed to proceed. They are independent, they are necessarily confidential, as you will appreciate …

What I can tell you is, as I said, if anyone is found to have broken the rules, they should not only face the full consequences of the law, but I will ensure that they are booted out of the Conservative party too.

Two Tory election candidates are being investigated, Craig Williams and Laura Saunders, as well as Saunders’ husband, Tony Lee, who is now on leave of absence from his job as campaigns director at CCHQ.

A police officer from Sunak’s close protection team has also been arrested over alleged bets about the timing of the election.

SNP investigated over ‘misuse’ of funds for stamps to post election leaflets

The SNP is being investigated by Holyrood authorities over potential misuse of MSPs’ expenses to fund campaigning for the general election, Libby Brooks reports.

Tories revive claim Labour would raise council tax after Rayner says revaluation is not priority 'at the moment'

The Conservative party has revived its claim that Labour would raise council tax after Angela Rayner, the party’s deputy leader, said it did not have any plans for an increase “at the moment”.

In an inteview with BBC Radio Merseyside this morning, asked if Labour would consider a council tax revaluation for England (where the tax is still levied on the basis of property values in 1991, when the system was set up), Rayner replied:

At the moment, if I’m really honest to your listeners, we’ve got a lot on our plate. I want to build 1.5m homes, which I think is a huge task … We’re going to look at how we can use the affordable homes grant … These are our priorities. Our priority is not to do anything with the council tax banding at the moment.

In reponse, the Conservative party issued a statement from Laura Trott, the chief secretary to the Treasury, saying:

Angela Rayner has confirmed big council tax rises are on the cards – just not ‘at the moment’. Rebanding of council tax is one of seventeen tax rises Labour have not ruled out.

The Conservatives have repeatedly challenged Labour to rule out council tax increases, and Labour has refused. In fact, the amount people pay in council tax normally rises every year anyway. When the Tories call for council tax not to go up, they mean there should be no revaluation (which would lead to some people paying more), no additional council tax bands created and no cut to council tax discounts. These are promises the Conservatives are making for the next parliament, if they win the election.

Labour’s position has been confusing. On Monday Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, said: “We are not going to do council tax rebanding.” But on Tuesday, in his LBC phone-in, Keir Starmer did not repeat this line. Asked about council tax going up, he just said nothing in Labour’s plans required tax rises beyond those already announced.

Rayner’s comment about not wanting to look at council tax “at the moment” is similar to what Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, told the Financial Times in a recent interview. She said that, even if the case for a council tax revaluation was “sensible”, it was not something she wanted to use her “political energy” on because she had other priorities.

Council tax is a highly regressive tax and many mainstream economists and thinktanks (like the Institute for Fiscal Studies, here) argue that the case for a revaluation is compelling. But both main parties have stuck with the current valuations because reform would be contentious.

Vaughan Gething, the Welsh Labour leader and first minister, has said having Labour in power in Cardiff and London would let the party “unleash Wales’ full potential”.

The Welsh party has published its manifesto this morning and in the foreward Gething says:

This is the moment we’ve been waiting for – the chance for the Labour Party to unleash Wales’ full potential.

A Welsh Labour government, working with a Labour government in Westminster, led by Keir Starmer. We have to seize this opportunity. In the words of the poet Seamus Heaney, it is time to let hope and history rhyme.

Labour's Peter Kyle refuses to say if he agrees with Starmer that Corbyn would have been better PM than Johnson

Peter Kyle, the shadow science secretary, was doing the interview round for Labour this morning. On LBC, he was asked four times by Nick Ferrari if he agreed with Keir Starmer when he said on the BBC Question Time leaders’ special last night that Jeremy Corbyn would have made a better PM than Boris Johnson. Kyle repeatedly refused to answer. The first time the question was posed, he said:

Those were difficult days in our politics, and we each had to find our own way through it.

But the key thing is in 2019, we had that general election, and the voters told us definitively. If you’re in politics, you’ve got to listen to voters. And they told us definitively that our party had to change. Keir Starmer led our party through that change. And he now has a party that’s fit for service because of the change.

As Ferrari tried again three more times, Kyle just repeated version of this answer.

Updated

Government debt reaches highest level for more than 60 years, figures show

UK state debt rose to levels not witnessed for more than 60 years in May despite lower-than-expected government borrowing, PA Media reports. PA says:

Official data, which comes only two weeks prior to the election, underscores the financial challenge facing the next government, with both Labour and the Conservatives pledging to cut debt.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that public sector net debt as a proportion to UK GDP (gross domestic product) rose to 99.8% for the month.

This marks the highest reading since March 1961, the ONS said.

Both Labour and the Conservative parties have said in the run up to the election that they will meet a fiscal rule to reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio over the next five years.

Rishi Sunak promised to reduce debt as one of his five pledges at the start of 2023.

Welsh secretary David Davies claims Chris Skidmore's decision to back Labour influenced by his green industry earnings

Rishi Sunak will be speaking at the launch of the Welsh Conservative manifesto later, and David TC Davies, the Welsh secretary, made a rare appearance on the media round earlier in anticipation of the launch.

Davies said that, if Tories have been betting on the date of the election using inside knowledge, that was “totally unacceptable”. But he was much more relaxed about another potentially embarassing story for the Conservatives – the news that the former Tory energy minister Chris Skidmore is backing Labour.

Davies told Sky News that "he was “not in the least bit bothered about” the revelation.

He also suggested that Skidmore’s decision was influenced by his earnings as an adviser on renewable energy issues. He told Sky:

Chris has become a bit distracted because of the work he’s doing for the renewable industry, I believe. So, perhaps that’s also impacted on his political views now he’s become much more interested in working in industry.

And he told LBC:

I’m siding with those people who don’t want to be forced into an electric car just yet, who think that 100,000 jobs in the oil and gas industry, which is what’s at stake if Labour wins, are perhaps more important than Chris Skidmore’s earnings in the renewables industry.

In an article for the Guardian, Skidmore, a former energy minister who also led a net zero review for the goverment, said he was backing Labour because he could no longer defend the Conservative record on the climate crisis. He said:

Sunak’s decision instead to side with climate deniers and to deliberately politicise the energy transition is perhaps the greatest tragedy of his premiership. It has cost us not just environmentally but also economically. It is a decision that will also cost votes, including those in my own constituency. For the first time, I cannot vote for a party that has boasted of new oil and gas licences in its manifesto or that now argues that net zero is a burden and not a benefit. Instead, like many others who know that we have neither choice nor any more time, and need to tackle the climate crisis now, I have decided that the Labour party is best placed to achieve economic growth and the green industrial revolution. Net zero is one of its five key priorities, and for this reason I will be voting Labour at this election.

Labour’s policy platform is sensible and mainstream. And as I found from speaking to thousands of people across the country during my Net Zero review, it is what the public wants and what business needs. It is potentially the greatest economic opportunity of our lifetimes – and the UK can’t afford to miss out. We could be delivering greater energy security from homegrown energy rather than foreign-owned fossil fuels, reducing energy bills through cheaper and more sustainable renewables, and securing billions in private investment that could transform our communities. It’s time for a new government to recognise and embrace that opportunity to deliver jobs, face the future and be proud of what the UK can and will achieve.

In an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, was asked why she said she was “absolutely gutted” when she heard that Jeremy Corbyn had been suspended from the Labour party.

She replied:

Since then we’ve seen that Jeremy Corbyn hasn’t really acted in a way that would have been in keeping with the Labour party. He’s now standing against the Labour party so therefore he’s not a member of the Labour party any more.

She also said Labour had to take “some responsibility” for the Tory chaos that followed the 2019 election because the party did not offer an alternative that was attractive to voters.

Labour says it could deliver major transport projects 25% faster and 20% cheaper with planning reform

Labour has announced it will aim to deliver major transport projects 25% faster and 20% cheaper than current levels if it wins the election, PA Media reports. PA says:

The targets are based on the expected findings of a review into rail and urban transport infrastructure commissioned by the party and led by former Siemens UK boss Juergen Maier.

Labour said it will “apply industry-leading best practice to major transport projects from the start”, and publish a “long-term strategy for transport”.

The party accused the Conservatives of having a “broken approach to infrastructure”, claiming delays to large schemes have reached “unsustainable levels” which are “costing the taxpayer dearly”.

It cited examples such as planning costs for the Lower Thames Crossing – a proposed new road tunnel between Essex and Kent – reaching “an eyewatering £800m”, and the decision to scrap HS2 north of Birmingham.

Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh and Maier will visit Manchester Airport on Friday to discuss options for improving rail connectivity across the North of England.

Haigh said: “Levelling up has been an absolute sham under the Conservatives – and nowhere is this more apparent than the woeful state of our transport infrastructure.

“Labour is committed to tackling this from day one. We will turn the page on years of Tory waste, chaos and broken promises. Improving rail connectivity and capacity across the North is an absolute priority for Labour – and we will deliver value for the taxpayer while turbocharging delivery of transport projects.”

Maier said: “The North of England has borne the brunt of a series of broken promises on transport infrastructure and our economy is suffering as a result.

“It has been 10 years since a new rail line across the Pennines was promised and we’re still waiting for construction to get underway. The uncertainty created by chronically over-promising and underdelivering is lethal for investor and passenger confidence.”

Updated

Sunak facing 'punishment election' and election date betting allegations making it worse, says Tory former minister

Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Helen Sullivan.

Paul Scully, the former Tory minister who is standing down at the election, has delivered a good assessment of why the election date betting allegations are so damaging for his party. As the Telegraph reports, Scully told GB News that this was “a punishment election” – and that the allegations just give voters a further reason to punish his party. He said:

It feels like we’re shooting ourselves in the foot and we’re not millipedes. We’ve only got two feet.

There’s only so much capacity. When you have got effectively what is a punishment election, when you’ve got people that are wanting to punish the Conservatives and so they’re going to be looking under the microscope at absolutely everything that we do, and then we’re making it easy for them to punish us even further on that basis.

Scully also said since the election was called things seemed to to have gone from “bad to worse” for the party.

If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line (BTL) or message me on X (Twitter). I can’t read all the messages BTL, but if you put “Andrew” in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word. If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use X; I’ll see something addressed to @AndrewSparrow very quickly. I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos (no error is too small to correct). And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.

More detail now on those retail sales figures.

Spending in shops and online bounced back strongly last month as better weather, falling inflation and rising consumer confidence boosted spending.

The monthly update from the Office for National Statistics showed the volume of retail sales rose by 2.9% in May, following a weather-affected drop of 1.8% in April.

The ONS said most retailers had a better month in May, with marked increases in the clothing and footwear and household goods sectors. Clothing sales rose by 5.4% as retailers managed to shift summer stock.

The official data followed the release of the latest snapshot of consumer confidence from GfK showing sentiment standing at its highest level in two and a half years.

Over the three months to May – a better guide to the underlying trend in spending – retail sales rose by 1%. Even so, they remained 0.5% below the level immediately before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in February 2020.

Retail sales account for less than half of total consumer spending and exclude categories such as car sales, eating out and hotel stays.

Government debt lifts to levels not seen in 60 years – Office for National Statistics

In economy news: the government borrowed less money than predicted in May but saw debt lift to levels not witnessed for more than 60 years, according to official figures, PA reports:

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that public sector net borrowing hit £15bn for the month. It comes amid significant scrutiny on the state finances with only two weeks until the General Election.

Initial data found public sector borrowing – the difference between Government spending and income - was £0.8bn higher than the same month a year earlier. It was also the third highest May since monthly records began in 1993.

Nevertheless, this was £0.6bn below forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the Government’s official forecaster, and was also less than economists had predicted.

The ONS also found that public sector net debt as a proportion to UK GDP (gross domestic product) rose to 99.8% - the highest level since March 1961.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to reduce debt as one his five pledges at the start of 2023.

Welsh Secretary David TC Davies has appeared on the Today programme, where he was asked if he was worried about the reputation of the Tory Party on questions of ethics and integrity, in light of the allegations about betting on the timing of the General Election.

Well, of course I am.

I took a decision when I entered the Wales Office as Secretary of State that I’d do two things immediately to set an example. The first was to get rid of the ministerial car, so I’ve been happily travelling around on the Tube ever since, which I don’t think is appropriate for all Cabinet ministers, by the way, because some of them have more security issues than I do.

The second thing I did was to look round, notice there was alcohol in the building and ask for it all to be removed within 48 hours, for there to be no alcohol to be served at any official Wales Office events at all, and for nobody - including and of course especially myself - to be drinking alcohol at any official functions at any time of the day or night.”

Analysis: election betting scandal will linger in public’s minds

When Rishi Sunak, Britain’s Conservative prime minister, called a snap election in the pouring rain last month, he would have hoped his party would have closed at least some of the 20-point deficit in the opinion polls.

Instead, it seems the only members of his party who have profited since are some of his Downing street aides – in a political betting scandal that has swiftly reinforced prevailing anti-Conservative stereotypes in the British public’s imagination.

Political scandals in Britain do not have to involve large sums of money, but they linger in the public imagination if they feel politicians have been acting with impunity. Fifteen years ago, dozens of MPs were forced out after an expenses scandal. One Conservative quit after asking taxpayers to pay £1,645 for an ornamental duck house.

More pertinently, Sunak’s predecessor as prime minister but one, Boris Johnson, was forced out of office two years ago over another scandal: the “Partygate” affair.

Johnson, aides and advisers, it emerged, had held a string of parties and drinks events in Downing Street during the coronavirus crisis, at times when the British public were forced to remain at home, unable even to visit sick or dying relatives.

Rayner declines to say if supreme court fossil fuel ruling means Labour would have to reconsider Rosebank licence

Licenses that have already been approved for fossil fuel projects will be carried on, Rayner says, when asked about the Rosebank oilfield, and whether yesterday’s supreme court ruling on Surrey council will have any bearing on the controversial development.

Husain is pressing her on the ruling from the supreme court that Surrey council should have considered the climate change impacts of new oil wells.

Rayner won’t be drawn on the implications of the ruling.

But, asked if Labour would have to reapprove the licence for the Rosebank development, she says:

Licences that have already been approved will carry on.

If there’s a decision to be made at the time, then that will come to that secretary of state to make that decision.

But what we are very clear on is that we can’t rely on it into the future, we have to have a just transition into renewables and Labour is the only party that has a credible plan on how we get there and meet our net zero targets.

Here is some context:

Updated

Mishal Husain says that studies show delivering the needed extra staff would require billions of pounds a year.

Angela Rayner again says that money will be saved by delivering the right level of care in the right place. She is referring to Labour’s plan to use NHS money to buy beds in care homes:

Rayner says Labour's NHS workforce plan could save money, by cutting costs caused by staff shortages

Mishal Husain says that the topup to annual NHS spending in your manifesto was primarily not for staff. How will Labour deliver a workforce plan?

Angela Rayner responds by saying that what is needed is reform, rather than funding. The workforce doesn’t feel valued, she says, and that is what needs to change.

Husain presses her on the cost of delivering a workforce plan, and Rayner is evasive.

Husain asks if she is saying it is cost neutral.

Rayner: I actually think by having that workforce plan… we could save money. If staff are retained, and agency fees are avoided, money could be saved, she says.

UPDATE: Rayner said:

I actually think by having that workforce plan, and I’ve worked in the social care sector before, and I represented Unison members who worked in our NHS for years as a convenor as well, I actually think we could save money if we could do those reforms.

If we could value the staff, if we can retain the staff so we’re not paying huge agency fees, I actually think we could save money, never mind coming in cost neutral.

I think it’s a scandal that we’re spending so much money on agency fees and keeping people on trolleys in A&E because we don’t have the right support for people at the right time when they need it.

Updated

The BBC’s Mishal Husain is about to interview deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner on the Today programme. We’ll bring you the highlights live.

Updated

Lib Dems announce £750m a year for NHS dentistry

The Liberal Democrats have announced a dental rescue plan for the NHS, worth £750 million each year, which aims to give more patients access to care, ensure free check-ups for children and to prevent the “exodus” of NHS dentists.

It said that this would increase NHS dentistry funding in England by around a quarter.
The plan also aims to ensure access to an NHS dentist for everyone needing urgent and emergency care.

And the Liberal Democrats said that the money would be used to help to reform the NHS dental contract, which has been a subject of contention among dentists.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey:

Across the country, millions of people are going without basic dental care, with many even turning to pulling their own teeth out due to the lack of services. It is an utterly appalling situation that has to be brought to an end.

The Conservative government has pushed dentistry to the brink and it is children and parents who are paying the price of their neglect.
“Years of this Conservative government kicking the can down the road is creating an exodus of dentists from the NHS.

The Liberal Democrats have an ambitious plan to fix the dental contract and tackle the crisis in dental care. Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to get rid of this appalling Conservative government and fix the NHS and care.

Updated

Labour proposes 10-year budgets for R&D institutions

Starmer will be campaigning in Scotland today, where he will be talking about research and development and the party’s industrial strategy in Scotland.

The gist:

  • New ten-year budgets for British research and development institutions

  • Creating jobs in sectors like engineering, research, AI, and life sciences.

  • Supporting clean energy projects such as the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.

  • Creating 69,000 jobs across Scotland, including 53,000 new clean energy jobs in sectors like carbon capture, hydrogen onshore and offshore wind.

  • The Warm Homes Plan, which will create 16,000 jobs and cut energy bills for thousands of Scots. Currently, almost half of Scottish homes fall below the recommended energy efficiency standard, meaning colder homes and higher bills, according to Labour.

Here is what Starmer will tell voters today:

At this election, Scotland can turn the page on an era of economic turmoil under the Tories and the SNP.

Our changed Labour Party can deliver economic stability, unlock wealth creation and create high quality jobs in the industries of the future.

Our plans will give businesses the certainty to invest and grow, helping turbocharge Scotland’s economy. Scotland deserves leadership that matches the ambition of the Scottish people. A party that won’t just send a message but will send a government to Westminster. That party is Labour.

Labour will put Scotland at the heart of government and deliver the change that Scotland needs.”

Anas Sarwar, Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, will say:

After 17 years of Tory economic turmoil and 14 years of SNP economic failure, Scotland is ready for change.

Labour’s groundbreaking industrial strategy will unlock wealth creation, drive forward growth and bring the jobs of the future to Scotland.

These plans will grasp the vast potential and talent we have here in Scotland and make us home to the jobs of the future – from clean energy to technology to research.

The Tories’ reckless economic mismanagement caused misery for millions of Scots and the SNP’s manifesto costings look like they were cooked up by Liz Truss – but Labour will deliver economic stability our country desperately needs.

Every vote for Scottish Labour is a vote to end Tory economic chaos and deliver a Labour government with Scotland’s voice at its heart.”

Updated

Polls mask many ‘undecideds’ and fuel Labour worry about mobilising voters

In three weeks’ time, Ed Davey could be standing at the dispatch box as the leader of the opposition, Rishi Sunak could be on a plane to California having lost his seat and three-quarters of the cabinet out on the job hunt while more than 500 Labour MPs take their seats. There are no leadership chances for the seatless James Cleverly, Penny Mordaunt or Priti Patel.

Are these predictions real, or as outlandish as they sound? Not all the polls are as apocalyptic for the Conservatives as the scenario above describes, but if Keir Starmer enters parliament with a majority of 150, it would now feel almost disappointing.

Inside Labour HQ, there is a policy not to discuss the polls at all and to make decisions based purely on the party’s own data and precision-targeted strategy.

But for Labour campaigners trying to mobilise voters, the polls are becoming positively unhelpful. It is the Tories who stand to gain the most from the argument that it is important to have a bulwark of Tory MPs as a counter to an unprecedented Labour majority, in order to motivate their disillusioned base and activists.

It is also a key argument for Starmer’s critics on the left. A Labour landslide is nailed on, they argue, so vote with your conscience for Greens or independents if you want to put pressure on the party about the climate crisis or war in Gaza.

Even if Labour HQ believes the polls, the party lacks the capacity to work all of the potential targets. “Tory vote is collapsing to Reform in the long shot seats,” one MP said. “But many I don’t think are realistic. We aren’t re-directing resources.”

“It feels more volatile than ever with a lot of undecideds and uncertains,” said another MP.

Some Labour candidates are so anxious about their own, safe seats they are annoyed at being harangued by Labour HQ to campaign elsewhere – and some of the Labour WhatsApp groups are near mutinous about the degree of control being placed on their movements.

The most recent MRP polls – for Savanta and Ipsos – put between 100 and 150 seats on a knife-edge. The polls use a method taking about 10 times the usual number of survey respondents and extrapolate that data on to constituencies.

But very different methods are used by all the different pollsters now using this new method of MRP polling in order to drill down into the different constituencies:

Updated

Consumer spending picks up

The latest retail sales figures show that consumer spending picked up last month, while new borrowing statistics are casting a light on the public finances.

May’s retail sales stats show that sales volumes rebounded in May, after a slump in April when bad weather drove shoppers from the high street. That’s rather stronger than the 1.5% rise forecast by City economists.

Retail sales volumes jumped by 2.9% in May 2024, following a fall of 1.8% in April, the Office for National Statistics reports.

These increases suggest people feel more confident about economic conditions – as shown by the latest poll of consumer confidence from GfK. But while that may bolster Rishi Sunak’s claim that the economy is turning the corner, this isn’t providing the PM with a poll boost.

And one more: deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner will be on the Today programme at 8.10, we’ll bring you the key moments from that interview live.

Coming up today

Here is a more detailed schedule of the day ahead:

  • 11.30am: Rishi Sunak campaigning in north Wales and launching the Welsh Conservative manifesto. David TC Davies is on the morning media round.

  • 10.30am: Keir Starmer and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar visit Scottish business. Deputy Labour Leader Angela Rayner is on the morning round for Labour.

  • 10.15am: Ed Davey visiting a college in Harrogate, Yorkshire and a railway station in north Norfolk.

  • 13.45: Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner to visit an advanced manufacturing centre in the West Midlands.

  • 7pm: Farage to be interviewed by Nick Robinson for BBC Panorama special. Farage will be campaigning in Clacton during the day.

How a disastrous Tory policy blew up the housing market

Two decades ago, a household with the median income could afford to buy an average-priced house in England. Now, they can afford only the cheapest 10% of properties.

In the capital, the situation is even more absurd. An average first-time buyer in London now has to save for more than 30 years to afford a deposit on an average home. The result is ever more people trapped in the private rented sector, at the mercy of unregulated landlords and subject to rents that have reached a record high. The number of adults living with their parents has risen by 700,000 over the last decade, with about 30% of 25- to 29-year-olds now living back at home.

Tory doctrine has created not a nation of homeowners, but a country of squeezed renters, overcrowded flat-sharers and rough sleepers, with the number of people sleeping on the streets more than double the figure when the Conservatives came to power in 2010.

So what is Sunak’s grand plan to fix this mess? His momentous proposal is to resuscitate the still-warm corpse of help to buy, the single policy that the government’s housing strategy has relied on for the last decade.

Help to buy was first introduced in 2013 by the then-chancellor George Osborne, and trumpeted as “the biggest government intervention in the housing market since the right to buy” of the 1980s. Over the last four decades, that disastrous policy has seen two-thirds of Britain’s council homes transferred from public to private hands, forcing local authorities to sell off more homes each year than they can build.

The policy provided first-time buyers with an equity loan of up to 20% of the value of a new-build property – or 40% in superheated London – capped at a total price of £600,000. The buyer was required to stump up a deposit of just 5%, with the remainder covered by a traditional mortgage. It was a reaction to sluggish rates of housebuilding, when developers were still licking their wounds from the financial crisis, and banks were reluctant to lend more than 75% of a new-build home’s value to purchasers, cutting many first-time buyers out of the market. The dubious logic behind help to buy was that by stimulating housing demand, housing supply would inevitably follow.

Economists balked. Christian Hilber, professor of economic geography at the London School of Economics, wrote at the time: “Help to buy will likely have the effect of pushing up house prices (and rents) further with very little positive effect on new construction. Housing will likely become less – not more – affordable for young would-be-owners!”

Farage said Andrew Tate was ‘important voice’ for men in podcast interview

Speaking of Nigel Farage: the Reform UK leader has praised the misogynist influencer Andrew Tate for being an “important voice” for the emasculated and giving boys “perhaps a bit of confidence at school” in online interviews that appear to be aimed at young men over the past year.

The Guardian’s Rowena Mason and Ben Quinn report:

Farage spoke in favour of Tate for defending “male culture” in a Strike It Big podcast that aired in February, while acknowledging that the influencer had gone “over the top” and elsewhere that he had said some “pretty horrible” things.

Since December 2022, Tate has been facing charges in Romania of human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, which he denies.

Many politicians and teachers have spoken out against Tate’s influence on young boys in the UK, after the self-proclaimed misogynist said women belonged in the home and were a man’s property. “There’s no way you can be rooted in reality and not be sexist,” Tate said in one video.

The best pictures from the campaign trail on Thursday

Thursday night’s Question Time was the biggest thing on the agenda for the Conservative, Labour, Lib-Dem and Scottish National Party leaders. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who complained about being excluded from the four-way leaders’ panel, had a pint – and, erm, sang Eminem – after delivering a speech at a hotel in Blackpool. He will feature in a separate Question Time next week, and on Panorama tonight.

Gogglebox, Rishi Sunak’s advisors edition:

Campaign outfit / uniform / animal accessory of the day goes to Starmer, definitely-not-boring fluoro yellow:

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey was grilled by members of the public over abandoning the party’s pledge to scrap tuition fees in the coalition government. In response a question about tuition fees drom a student, he said: “I understand why your generation lost faith in us. It was a difficult government to be in.”

Davey was also asked whether he was “proud” of his conduct as postal affairs minister under the coalition government between 2010 and 2012.

Davey said the loss of trust in his party after that period was “very scarring” and admitted he was “not proud” of some of the votes he had to take part in.

When asked which Westminster leader would be the better choice for Scotland, Scottish First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney said: “I think the Conservative Government has been a total disaster and a calamity. So it cannot be out of office quick enough in my view.”

And the winner of the Please Make it Stop award for Thursday: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage channelled rapper Eminem on stage in front of 600 supporters at the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool.

He entered the conference room to Eminem song Without Me, which features the lyrics “Guess who’s back, back again?”, and sang along as the audience stood and applauded.

He appealed to the audience to stream the song, PA reports.

Four in five locum GPs in England unable to find work, BMA study finds

More than four in five locum GPs in England are unable to find work with a third forced to leave the NHS because they cannot make ends meet, a survey has found.

A survey of 1,852 locums, conducted by the British Medical Association (BMA), found that 84% cannot find work despite patients across the country waiting weeks for GP appointments.

The study also found that more than half are considering a career change owing to a lack of work, while a third (33%) have made definite plans to work in a different career away from the NHS.

Just under a third (31%) of respondents said that the lack of suitable shifts was leading them to leave the NHS entirely, while 71% said the government funding model was to blame for the levels of unemployment.

More than half of GP appointments are now conducted by non-GP practice staff as they are cheaper, which is leading to locums being unable to find work. The BMA say this is because of the government’s model of funding GP practices meaning that many are unable to hire family doctors through these funds:

What Keir Starmer said when asked about his 2019 comment about Corbyn - full transcript

To explain the Daily Telegraph’s front page this morning, here is the transcript of the exchange between Fiona Bruce and Keir Starmer about Jeremy Corbyn on Question Time:

FB: You also said in February 2019 that Jeremy Corbyn would make a great prime minister. You said already, you thought you weren’t going to win that election. Putting that to one side, you said he would make a great prime minister. Did you mean it or did you have your fingers crossed behind your back?

KS: I didn’t think we would win that election.

FB: You said that. Irrespective of that, you said he’d make a great prime minister. Did you mean it?

KS: It wasn’t a question that really arose because I didn’t think we were going to win the election.

FB: We all heard you. We all heard you saying he would be a great prime minister. That was your way of telling the people here to vote for him. Did you not mean that?

KS: I was campaigning for the Labour Party. And I’m glad I did.

FB: But you also campaigned for Jeremy Corbyn to be prime minister.

KS: I was campaigning for the Labour party. I was a Labour politician. I wanted to be elected, or reelected, and I wanted good colleagues to be reelected. Some of the people around the shadow cabinet table were people whose seats were saved because we campaigned hard for the Labour party.

FB: Just answer this, yes or no. When you said Jeremy Corbyn would make a good prime minister, did you mean it?

KS: Look, he would be better prime minister … [pause] … look what we got, Boris Johnson, a man who made massive promises, didn’t keep them and then had to leave parliament in disgrace.

FB: Did you think he’d make a great, not even just a good, a great prime minister?

KS: I didn’t think we were in a position to win that election. And the more I looked at the preparation we’ve now down, the more convinced I am about that.

Former Tory minister vows to vote Labour over party’s climate failures

The Conservatives’ former net zero tsar has revealed that he intends to vote Labour for the first time because Rishi Sunak has been “siding with climate deniers” to politicise the energy transition.

Writing exclusively in the Guardian, Chris Skidmore, a former energy minister, said he could not back the Tories, who had argued that net zero was “a burden and not a benefit”, a decision that he said would cost it votes.

In a deeply personal attack, he accused the prime minister of breaking the consensus of the past on climate action to “seek division and polarisation”, suggesting it was the “greatest tragedy” of his premiership.

“Worse still has been the rhetoric and extreme tone that has sought to politicise net zero as being forced upon people, a false narrative that is either the product of ignorance, or deliberate misinformation,” he said.

The former Tory MP, who attended cabinet in his previous role, becomes the most senior figure yet to switch his support to Labour, after a small handful of Tory backbench defections, in a further blow to Sunak’s campaign.

This morning's front pages

The Guardian’s top story this morning is former Tory PM Chris Skidmore saying that he will be voting Labour next week Thursday. His reason: because Rishi Sunak has been “siding with climate deniers” to politicise the energy transition. Skidmore has written about his decision for the Guardian here.

The Telegraph leads with the gotcha that Starmer thinks former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn would have made a better PM than Boris Johnson:

The Mirror: What are the odds on that?

The Financial Times: Flurry of bets on July election placed in run-up to Sunak’s announcement

The Times: Sunak vows to boot out Tories over poll betting

The Independent: All bets are off on trust in Tories

The I: Betting farce derails Tory campaign amid fears that more names will emerge

Pun / groan of the day goes to Metro, with: What a flutter shambles

Updated

Rishi Sunak floats sanctions on young people for refusing national service

In more news from Question Time: Rishi Sunak has indicated that young people might face restrictions on access to finance or driving licences if they refuse to do national service.

Asked during a BBC Question Time special what sanctions people could face for declining to take part in the Conservative policy of compulsory national service for all 18-year-olds, the prime minister pointed to “driving licences, or the access to finance, all sorts of other things”.

Questioned on whether this could mean denying young people bank cards, he replied: “There’s lot of different models around Europe.”

In his half-hour slot on the show, following Keir Starmer, Ed Davey and John Swinney, the Labour, Liberal Democrat and Scottish National party leaders, Sunak was also repeatedly challenged on why the public should trust the Tories after 14 sometimes chaotic years in office.

He received shouts of “shame” after refusing to say he would keep Britain in the European convention on human rights.

What are the sums involved in the alleged betting scandal?

A week ago, the Guardian revealed that Craig Williams, Rishi Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary, an otherwise obscure politician with an intimate knowledge of Downing Street, had placed a £100 bet on his boss calling an early general election in July.

The odds were 5-1, hardly enough to be worth risking a reputation over. But even though Williams stood to gain only £500, he thought it worth placing a bet on Sunday 19 May with a rural Welsh bookmaker.

Three days later, a rain-soaked Sunak made his surprise announcement, asking the British public on 22 May: “Who do you trust?” Before that Wednesday morning, few had expected an election to be called before the summer.

The Gambling Commission has widened its investigation, looking at last-minute bets on a July election where anybody stood to gain more than the relatively modest sum of £199. Other data already suggested that several gamblers were making last-minute online bets on a surprise July election.

A Guardian analysis shows that a sudden flood of bets on a July election was placed on Tuesday 21 May on the Betfair Exchange, before Sunak had even told his own cabinet of senior politicians that the early election was going ahead.

Between January and May, an average of £27 a day was gambled on Sunak calling a general election in July, and most people bet just a few pounds on what was seen as an unlikely outcome.

Then, the day before Sunak’s announcement, a total £3,285 was gambled on Betfair in dozens of bets. Some punters stuck on hundreds of pounds, suggesting serious confidence and driving the odds down.

Although the data came from only one specialist online bookmaker, it immediately suggested the scale of bets across the whole industry may have been more substantial – as the Gambling Commission’s own inquiries appear to be bearing out.

On Monday, a police bodyguard, whose job it was to protect Sunak from terror attacks and other physical threats, was arrested after allegedly placing a bet on the timing of the election. Then on Thursday, it emerged that two more Conservatives might be involved.

Laura Saunders, the party’s candidate in Bristol North West, was under scrutiny over an election day bet, the BBC revealed. Her husband, Tony Lee, the party’s director of campaigns, was immediately placed on leave of absence, and the Conservatives were forced to admit that “a small number of individuals” were being investigated:

Updated

Sunak 'incredibly angry' about betting allegations

Rishi Sunak was asked during a leaders’ debate on BBC Question Time on Thursday evening whether the betting allegations were “the absolute epitome of the lack of ethics”.

Sunak said he was “incredibly angry” to learn of the allegations, adding that if anyone is found guilty they should “face the full force of the law” and he would “make sure they are booted out of the Conservative party”.

“I was incredibly angry – incredibly angry – to learn of these allegations,” said Sunak.

“It’s a really serious matter. It’s right that they’re being investigated properly by the relevant law enforcement authorities, including … a criminal investigation by the police.

“I want to be crystal clear that if anyone has broken the rules, they should face the full force of the law.”

The Guardian’s Pippa Crerar and Matthew Weaver report that the UK’s gambling watchdog is examining bets allegedly placed by Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate in Bristol North West, and her husband, Tony Lee, who is now on leave of absence from his job at party headquarters.

It is not known when the alleged bets were placed or for how much money.

A Tory spokesperson said the party had been contacted by the watchdog about “a small number of individuals” who had allegedly placed bets on a July election. A party insider said they were not aware of any more cases beyond those already in the public domain.

Last week the Guardian revealed that the prime minister’s closest parliamentary aide, Craig Williams, placed a £100 bet with Ladbrokes at 5/1 on a July poll, three days before Sunak announced the date.

The Guardian later revealed that the Gambling Commission asked bookmakers to trawl through all substantial bets placed on a July election.

Saunders, who has worked for the Tories since 2015, is standing as the party’s candidate in Bristol North West, which Labour held on the old boundaries with a 5,700 majority. She has not yet commented on the allegations.

Williams, 39, is the Tory candidate for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr in mid-Wales. He had a majority of 12,000 before the boundary change.

After the Guardian’s revelation, he apologised for placing the bet three days before Sunak announced the date, saying he had made a “huge error of judgment”. The prime minister said he was “disappointed”.

The Guardian understands the Tory party opened a formal HR process when they were notified of the watchdog’s inquiries, but has now put that on hold. Lee is on a leave of absence from party headquarters.

If Tories broke gambling rules they ‘should face full force of the law’, says Sunak

Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the run-up to the UK general election with me, Helen Sullivan.

With less than two weeks to go until Britons vote on 4 July, Rishi Sunak is facing a growing scandal, with a second Conservative candidate being looked into by the Gambling Commission. Appearing on Thursday night’s BBC Question Time, Sunak said if Tory figures were found to have broken gambling rules they “should face the full force of the law”.

Sunak said he was “incredibly angry to learn” of the allegations that multiple people with links to the Conservative Party or No 10 bet on the timing of the 4 July vote before he announced it.

Concerns over political insiders allegedly profiting from the election date could overshadow his campaigning on Friday, when he is at the Welsh Conservative manifesto launch in Kinmel Bay.

More on Sunak and Keir Starmer’s performances on the Question Time special shortly.

Here is what is coming up this morning:

  • 7am: Scottish Conservatives campaigning in the Scottish Borders. Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross to visit Peterhead Fish Market.

  • 8am: Aberdeen business hustings. Business leaders from across the region the put their questions to candidates representing the SNP, Lib Dems, Conservative and Labour parties.

  • 10am: Scottish Greens general election media call with co-leader Lorna Slater in East Linton. She will join the party’s Lothian East candidate, Shona McIntosh.

  • 10.30am: Keir Starmer and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar visit Scottish business. They will campaign on Labour’s plans to boost jobs and growth across Scotland.

  • Rishi Sunak is expected in Wales.

  • 11.50am: Deputy first minister Kate Forbes will join the SNP candidate for Glasgow South West Chris Stephens on the campaign trail.

And tonight, Nick Robinson will interview Nigel Farage for a BBC Panorama special.

You can find me on Twitter @helenrsullivan.

Updated

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