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Labour has suspended a candidate in relation to a Gambling Commission probe into alleged election betting, hours after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak withdrew support from two Conservative party candidates.
A Labour party spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that the gambling regulator had launched an investigation into Kevin Craig, its candidate for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich.
Labour said that, after the “receipt of communication” from the Gambling Commission, it had acted immediately to suspend Craig.
Craig bet that he would lose his bid to become an MP, according to a Labour official with direct knowledge of the matter.
Labour said: “With Keir Starmer as leader, the Labour party upholds the highest standards for our parliamentary candidates, as the public rightly expects from any party hoping to serve, which is why we have acted immediately in this case.”
Sunak earlier had suspended two of his candidates linked to allegations of betting on the date of the UK election, after days of intensifying pressure on the prime minister to act.
After standing by Craig Williams and Laura Saunders for several days, Sunak pulled the plug on the candidates on Tuesday morning.
London’s Metropolitan Police also announced that five more officers are under investigation by the Gambling Commission for allegedly placing bets on the timing of the election. A sixth officer was arrested last week.
The Conservative party said: “As a result of ongoing internal inquiries, we have concluded that we can no longer support Craig Williams or Laura Saunders as parliamentary candidates at the forthcoming general election.
“We have checked with the Gambling Commission that this decision does not compromise the investigation that they are conducting, which is rightly independent and ongoing.”
The Met Police said the five additional officers had not been arrested or suspended. “Decisions on whether they will be subject to any restrictions will be taken in due course,” it said.
Unlike the officer arrested last week, who was one of Sunak’s bodyguards, the Met said none of the five under investigation worked in a close protection role.
Saunders, a Tory staffer and wife of the party’s campaign director, is standing in Bristol North West while Williams, a former parliamentary aide to Sunak, is standing in Montgomeryshire.
Because nominations have closed, all three candidates will appear on ballot papers for their parties but no longer enjoy official endorsement.
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