After the latest round of gambling allegations, a Tory wipeout is a racing cert

To an experienced punter, the Tory betting scandal would make an interesting spread bet – say a fiver for every Conservative official, or person within the prime minister’s general ambit, that comes in for scrutiny and eventual action by the Gambling Commission or some other appropriate authority.

Thus far the number seems to be four people who’ve become tangled up in it in one way or another, some denying wrongdoing, though the facts are sometimes unclear and the outcomes as yet unknown. There is no necessary reason to suppose that more names won’t emerge.

Obviously, it cannot be good news for any party in the latter stages of a general election campaign to have two parliamentary candidates, the director of campaigns (married to one of those prospective MPs), the chief data officer and a member of Rishi Sunak’s police protection team out of action and subject of such unhelpful publicity.