Conservative Party 'held in contempt by the electorate' as betting scandal deepens

Sir Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of "total lack of leadership" after the prime minister failed to deny cabinet ministers are among senior Tories who placed bets on the election date.

- KATE DEVLIN ANDY GREGORY

As pressure mounted over the betting scandal, Labour also condemned Mr Sunak’s decision not to suspend two candidates who are under investigation by the Gambling Commission. Multiple cabinet ministers were forced to deny they had had a flutter on the polling date before it was announced to the public.

And as questions grew over what the prime minister knew and when, the Liberal Democrats called for WhatsApps from his inner circle to be probed. Dominic Grieve, the former Tory attorney general, warned the party was “held in contempt” by voters. Mr Grieve’s intervention comes as new figures showed the Tories had been dwarfed by Labour on fundraising, raising just £292,500 between 6 and 12 June compared to £4.4m.

Amid Tory fears the scandal will spread, defence secretary Grant Shapps told The Independent he had not placed a bet. Welsh secretary David TC Davies said: “I just want to put on record that I certainly haven’t bet myself”.

It is understood that transport secretary Mark Harper did not place a bet, while friends of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt say she did not either. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt referred questions from The Independent to his press office.

The scandal has seen the party’s director of campaigning, Tony Lee, “take a leave of absence” in the middle of the election. Meanwhile, his wife Laura Saunders – a candidate in Bristol and who has worked for the party since 2015 – and Craig Williams, who was Mr Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary in the last parliament, are under investigation for placing bets on the poll date just before the surprise snap election was announced.