Rishi Sunak has said he is “not aware” of any other Tory candidates facing an investigation over allegations of betting on the General Election.
But the Prime Minister dodged questions on when he became aware of the accusations, saying he did not want to “compromise the integrity” of ongoing inquiries into the scandal that has engulfed the party in recent days.
It comes as senior Tory Tobias Ellwood became the latest Conservative figure to urge Mr Sunak to suspend the candidates involved.
“(The Gambling Commission) don’t talk about the individuals that they are investigating,” the Prime Minister told journalists in a huddle on the campaign trail in Edinburgh.
“What I can tell you is I am not aware of any other candidate that they are looking at.”
He ruled out himself and close family members from being the subject of a probe.
The Conservative campaign has been plunged into a deeper crisis by the gambling controversy, with the party’s chief data officer Nick Mason understood to be taking a leave of absence amid claims he placed bets on the election date.
Director of campaigning Tony Lee has also taken a leave of absence, while Mr Lee’s would-be MP wife Laura Saunders and fellow candidate Craig Williams, who was a parliamentary aide to the Prime Minister, are also under investigation by the Gambling Commission.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris earlier rejected calls including from within Tory ranks for those facing an investigation to have the party whip withdrawn while the probe is ongoing.
