Laura Saunders: Second Conservative candidate facing betting probe is married to party’s head of campaigns
A second Conservative candidate facing an investigation over allegedly betting on the timing of the general election is married to the party’s director of campaigns.
Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate for Bristol North West, is being looked into by the Gambling Commission.
She has worked for the party since 2015 and is married to the Conservative Party’s director of campaigns, Tony Lee.
Mr Lee “took a leave of absence” from his role on Wednesday night, a Conservative Party spokesman told Sky News.
It is not known how much money Ms Saunders placed or when the bet was placed.
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Rishi Sunak’s close parliamentary aide Craig Williams, the Tory candidate in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, placed a bet on a July election date three days before the prime minister announced it.
And the prime minister’s close protection officer has been arrested and suspended over alleged bets about the timing of the election.
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, who is stepping down after 20 years as an MP, told Sky News’ Breakfast with Kay Burley: “It’s deeply disappointing and upsetting.
“But I have to say it’s the exception rather than the rule.”
He later said the whole episode is “deeply regrettable”, and added: “I can tell you how the world will think it looks, which is not great.”
Craig Williams admitted to betting on the election date. Pic: PA
A Conservative spokesman told Sky News: “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.”
A Gambling Commission spokesman told Sky News: “The Gambling Commission regulates gambling in the interests of consumers and the wider public.
“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.
“We are not confirming or denying the identity of any individuals involved in this investigation.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for Ms Saunders to be suspended and said it is “very telling” Mr Sunak has not already done so.
“If it was one of my candidates, they’d be gone and their feet would not have touched the floor,” he added.
The officer who has been arrested is a member of the Met’s Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP) Command, which provides personal close protection to ministerial VIPs and members of the Royal Family.
Sky News understands several bets were placed by the officer, with at least one of them being a three-figure sum.
The Met Police said the matter was immediately referred on 14 June to officers in the force’s directorate of professional standards, who opened an investigation. The officer was also removed from operational duties.
In a statement, the Met said: “The officer was subsequently arrested on Monday 17 June on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was taken into custody and bailed pending further enquiries.”
Mr Sunak said he was “disappointed” about Mr Williams after it emerged last week that he had bet on a July election.
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Mr Williams, who was the PM’s parliamentary private secretary (PPS), is facing an investigation after he “put a flutter on the general election” three days before the 4 July date was announced.
The odds at the time were 5/1 and he placed £100 on, which would have led to a £500 payout.
In a statement, he said his “flutter” on the election had prompted some “routine inquiries” and that he would “fully co-operate with these”.
“I don’t want it to be a distraction from the campaign. I should have thought through how it looks,” he added.
Sky News has contacted Ms Saunders for a comment but she has not replied.
The other candidates for Bristol North West are:
Caroline Gooch, Lib Dems
Darren Jones, Labour
Scarlett O’Connor, Reform UK
Mary Page, Green Party
Ben Smith, SDP
The other candidates for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr are:
Jeremy Brignell-Thorp, Green Party
Oliver Lewis, Reform Uk
Glyn Preston, Lib Dems
Elwyn Vaughan, Plaid Cymru
Steve Witherden, Labour
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The return on Donald Trump to the G7 was always going to be unpredictable. That it is happening against the backdrop of an escalating conflict in the Middle East makes it even more so.
Expectations had already been low, with the Canadian hosts cautioning against the normal joint communique at the end of the summit, mindful that this group of leaders would struggle to find consensus.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney carefully laid down an agenda that was uncontroversial in a bid to avoid any blow-ups between President Trump and allies, who of late have been divided like never before – be it over tariffs and trade, Russia and Ukraine, or, more recently Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
But discussions around critical minerals and global supply chains will undoubtedly drop down the agenda as leaders convene at a precarious moment. Keir Starmer, on his way over to Canada for a bi-lateral meeting in Ottawa with PM Carney before travelling onto the G7 summit in Kananaskis, underscored the gravity of the situation as he again spoke of de-escalation, while also confirmed that the UK was deploying more British fighter jets to the region amid threats from Tehran that it will attack UK bases if London helps defend Israel against airstrikes.
Canadian PM Mark Carney is greeted by President Donald Trump at the White House in May. Pic: AP
Really this is a G7 agenda scrambled as world leaders scramble to de-escalate the worst fighting between Tel Aviv and Tehran in decades. President Trump has for months been urging Israel not to strike Iran as he worked towards a diplomatic deal to halt uranium enrichment. Further talks had been due on Sunday – but are now not expected to go ahead.
All eyes will be on Trump in the coming days, to see if the US – Israel’s closest ally – will call on Israel to rein in its assault. The US has so far not participated in any joint attacks with Tel Aviv, but is moving warships and other military assets to the Middle East.
Sir Keir, who has managed to strike the first trade deal with Trump, will want to leverage his “good relationship” with the US leader at the G7 to press for de-escalation in the Middle East, while he also hopes to use the summit to further discuss the further the interests of Ukraine with Trump and raise again the prospects of Russian sanctions.
“We’ve got President Zelenskyy coming so that provides a good opportunity for us to discuss again as a group,” the PM told me on the flight over to Canada. “My long-standing view is, we need to get Russia to the table for an unconditional ceasefire. That’s not been really straightforward. But we do need to be clear about what we need to get to the table and that if that doesn’t happen, sanctions will undoubtedly be part of the discussion at the G7.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (R) is greeted by Mark Carney as he arrives in Ottawa ahead of the G7
But that the leaders are not planning for a joint communique – a document outlining what the leaders have agreed – tells you a lot. When they last gathered with Trump in Canada for the G7 back in 2018, the US president rather spectacularly fell out with Justin Trudeau when the former Canadian president threatened to retaliate against US tariffs and refused to sign the G7 agreement.
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Since then, Trump has spoken of his desire to turn Canada into the 51st state of the US, a suggestion that helped catapult the Liberal Party beyond their Conservative rivals and back into power in the recent Canadian elections, as Mark Carney stood on a ticket of confronting Trump’s aggression.
With so much disagreement between the US and allies, it is hard to see where progress might be made over the next couple of days. But what these leaders will agree on is the need to take down the temperature in the Middle East and for all the unpredictability around these relationships, what is certain is a sense of urgency around Iran and Israel that could find these increasingly disparate allies on common ground.
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