General election - latest: Fourth Tory investigated over betting scandal ‘who placed dozens of bets’
A fourth Conservative is being reportedly investigated for alleged betting on the date of the general election
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The Conservative’s data chief has become the fourth person in the party to be investigated for alleged betting on the date of the general election.
Nick Mason has taken a leave of absence after becoming the latest Tory to be reportedly investigated by the Gambling Commission for allegedly betting on the timing of the election before the date had been announced.
The latest allegations were published by The Sunday Times, which claimed dozens of bets had been placed with potential winnings worth thousands of pounds. A spokesman for the official told the paper that he denied wrongdoing.
The revelations are a fresh blow to Rishi Sunak’s hopes of getting the Tory election campaign on track after three other Conservative figures were caught up in the scandal.
They are Craig Williams, Mr Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary standing in Montgomeryshire, Laura Saunders, standing in Bristol North West, and her husband Tony Lee, director of campaigning at the party.
Prior to this latest revelation, Michael Gove suggested this scandal was proving as damaging as partygate, adding: “It looks like one rule for them and one rule for us.”
Politics ‘takes it toll’, Gove says
Politics “takes its toll” on people’s lives, Michael Gove has said as he outlined his reasons for standing down ahead of the election.
“I think that most of us have a shelf life in politics,” he told The Sunday Times.
“I think a useful ministerial career is a maximum of 10 to 15 years … Politics takes its own toll. Service takes its own toll.”
Farage has been ‘infected with the virus of Putinism’ - Zelensky
Nigel Farage has been “infected by the virus of Putinism”, Volodymyr Zelensky has said after the Reform leader suggested the West had provoked Russia into invading Ukraine.
“The virus of Putinism, unfortunately, infects people,” a source in the Ukraine president’s office told the BBC.
Mr Farage doubled down on the comments first made in an interview with the BBC, saying he was the only politician who has been “consistent” and “honest” about the war.
Sunak campaigning in North Yorkshire
Rishi Sunak will be campaigning in North Yorkshire on Sunday, ahead of gearing up for the final two weeks on the election trail.
No media is expected.
Mr Sunak’s own seat of Richmond is nearby, where he is defending a majority of 27,210 - a seemingly unassailable lead but some polls have suggested he could be at risk due to the size of Labour’s lead in the polls.
Gove: Fallout from betting scandal could be as bad as partygate
The fall out from the betting scandal engulfing the Conservative Party could be as bad as Partgate, Michael Gove has warned.
The outgoing cabinet minister said the row risked looking like “one rule for them and one rule for us”.
“That’s the most potentially damaging thing,” the housing and communities secretary told The Sunday Times. “The perception that we operate outside the rules that we set for others. That was damaging at the time of partygate and is damaging here.”
What to expect on the campaign trail today
Home secretary James Cleverly and shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson will be in the broadcast studios on Sunday morning after fresh revelations in the election betting scandal broke.
The Conservative Party’s chief data officer is the latest Tory official caught up in the allegations of betting on the general election’s timing before it was public knowledge.
Mr Cleverly is the first minister who is set to face questions in the light of the reports first aired in The Sunday Times.
How the Euros could change the result of the election
How the Euros could change the result of the election
Harold Wilson said England only ever win a World Cup under a Labour leader, meanwhile a pollster has found that the shirt colour of the winning cup final team is a precise an indicator of who will succeed at the ballot box. Jim White reads the runes and asks: is Rishi’s election timing an own goal – or a win?
Gove: Betting scandal is as bad as Covid partygate
The row over government insiders betting on the general election is as damaging to the reputation of the Tories as partygate during the pandemic, Michael Gove has said.
“It looks like one rule for them and one rule for us – the perception that we operate outside the rules that we set for others. That was damaging at the time of partygate and is damaging here,” he said in an interview with The Sunday Times.
You can read everything we know about the betting scandal here.
Tories ‘held in contempt by the electorate’ as pressure mounts on Rishi Sunak over betting scandal
Tories ‘held in contempt’ by voters as pressure mounts over betting scandal
Prime minister fails to deny cabinet ministers among those who had a flutter on the election date
Farage accused of ‘playing into Putin’s hands’ as he doubles down on Ukraine invasion comments
Farage accused of ‘playing into Putin’s hands’ as he doubles down on Ukraine comments
Nigel Farage says he shouldn’t be blamed for ‘telling the truth’ about Vladimir Putin’s war – though he has stopped short of offering an alternative policy
The great election turn-off: the true scale of millennials and Gen Z who won’t vote
The great election turn-off: the true scale of millennials and Gen Z who won’t vote
Exclusive: New polling reveals that those aged between 18 and 34 feel disenfranchised by the political parties
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