Sunak tries to cross the betting line by pleading not to sleepwalk until July 4

Saturday June 22, 2024 9:29 a.m.

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Rishi Sunak faced more questions about gambling from Tory candidates on Friday as he sought to move on from the scandal, telling voters not to sleepwalk until July 4.

The Prime Minister launched the Conservatives' Welsh manifesto in which he acknowledges voters' frustrations but tells them the general election is too important to be used to send a negative message to the party.

In the Labor camp, Sir Keir Starmer faced questions over his support for Jeremy Corbyn, after the party leader said his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn would be a better prime minister than Boris Johnson, a man who made huge promises and failed to keep them. .

He continued to face questions about his positions as newspaper headlines dominated the Saturday papers, with Harry Potter author JK Rowling saying The temperature she has a low opinion of his character and Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has warned that Labor could thwart Brexit, which she described as a 10-20 year project.

During the election campaign in Wales, Sunak said: I'm warning you, don't fall into Labour's trap, don't sleepwalk until July 4th.

I know you want to send us a message, but this is not a by-election.

He also said: They want to give 16-year-olds the right to vote, not because they think on principle that they are adults, but because they think that they will vote for them.

Once they gain power, they will change all the rules to ensure they keep it.

The Prime Minister responded to questions from journalists about allegations that a series of people with links to the Conservative Party or Number 10 had placed bets on the timing of the contest before announcing it.

Sunak refused to say whether he was aware of other Conservative candidates or officials who had placed bets on the election date, saying several independent and confidential investigations were underway.

He added: What I can tell you is that, as I said, if anyone has broken the rules, not only will they have to face the full consequences of the law, but I will also ensure that he be expelled from the Conservative Party. Also.

Craig Williams, the party's candidate in Montgomeryshire and parliamentary aide to Glyndwr and Sunak, admitted he had second thoughts about the election date after it was revealed he was the subject of a investigation by the Gambling Commission.

It has since been reported that another candidate, Laura Saunders, and her husband, Conservative campaign manager Tony Lee, were also under investigation by the Gambling Commission, while a member of the Sunaks' close protection team was arrested and removed from operational duty over similar allegations. .

The matter was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which said that at this stage the Metropolitan Police Professional Standards Branch should investigate.

Saunders, the Conservative candidate for Bristol North West, said she would co-operate with the Gambling Commission investigation, while Lee took leave from her party duties on Wednesday, just 15 days before the opening polling stations.

Labor has called for Williams and Saunders to be suspended as candidates.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Sir Keir Starmer accused Sunak of a complete lack of leadership over his decision not to suspend any of the candidates.

He said: Of course he should suspend these candidates. If they were my candidates, they would have already left, outside. He must take strong action. He doesn't even say today if there are more people involved.

The Gambling Commission confirmed its investigation was into potential criminal offenses, with a spokesperson saying: Currently the commission is investigating possible offenses relating to the election date.

The watchdog noted that if someone uses confidential information in order to gain an unfair advantage when betting, this may constitute the offense of cheating within the meaning of Section 42 of the Gambling Act. , which constitutes a criminal offense.

AP – Political staff

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has entered into controversy over Sir Keir's statements about Corbyn, who is contesting the seat of Islington North.

He wrote in his Daily Mail column: Starmer must now be brought into the matter mercilessly. He has to take it back. You cannot support Corbyn and support Ukraine at the same time.

Sir Keir outlined his position in an interview with GB News broadcast on Friday evening and said: Well, look, in the last election we had a very bad choice in 2019 and what happened was that Jeremy Corbyn was obviously rejected by the electorate and not by the right. nobody and we have now kicked him out of the Labor Party, that is how much we have changed the Labor Party.

Boris Johnson was elected Prime Minister and a few years later he was kicked out of Parliament for breaking the rules.

That's why I have been so determined to change the Labor Party, to always say country first, party second, and to ensure that in this election there is a real choice between continuing with the Conservatives or turn a page now and rebuild the country with Labour.

Towards the end of the week, on the Saturday front page, JK Rowling accused the Labor Party of turning its back on women. She wrote in the newspaper: Women who would not be silent did not leave Labor. Labor abandoned them.

Sir Keir had said during the Special Leaders' Question Time on Thursday that there were people who did not identify with the gender they were born into and who were going through a lot of anxiety and distress, and my view of life is about respecting and giving dignity to everyone. , whatever their position.

On Brexit, Badenoch told the Telegraph: “This is a 10 or 20 year project. We have just started. It's like building a house and someone comes in and says oh, it's not done yet, it failed.

Labour's manifesto pledges not to return to the single market, customs union or freedom of movement.