Tory Director of Campaigning investigated by Gambling watchdog over alleged bet relating to timing of general election

Rishi Sunak’s close protection officer has also been arrested and suspended over alleged bets about the timing of the general election.

The betting scandal affecting the Tory party is growing, after it emerged that the party’s director of campaigning, Tony Lee, is also being looked into by the Gambling Commission over an alleged bet relating to the timing of the general election.

The BBC reports that that ‘Mr Lee – who took a leave of absence from his job on Wednesday afternoon – is married to a Conservative candidate who is being looked into by the betting industry regulator.’

Lee is married to Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate for Bristol North West, who is now the second Conservative Party candidate facing an investigation over allegedly betting on the timing of the general election.

It is not as of yet known how much money Ms Saunders placed or when the bet was made.

The latest incident comes a week after Rishi Sunak’s close parliamentary aide Craig Williams, the Tory candidate in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, was also revealed to have placed a bet on a July election date three days before the prime minister announced it.

Rishi Sunak’s close protection officer has also been arrested and suspended over alleged bets about the timing of the general election.

Using confidential information to gain an unfair advantage when betting may constitute a criminal offence. Gamblers are not allowed to use inside information to place a bet nor are they allowed to instruct someone else on their behalf.

A Conservative Party spokesman told the BBC: “We have been contacted by the Gambling Commission about a small number of individuals.

“As the Gambling Commission is an independent body, it wouldn’t be proper to comment further, until any process is concluded.”

Reacting to the latest developments, Labour leader Keir Starmer said: “If it was one of my candidates, they’d be gone and their feet would not have touched the floor”. The party has called for the Tories to suspend both Ms Saunders and Mr Williams.

Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward