Rishi Sunak has said Tory figures who are found to have broken betting rules “should face the full force of the law” and will be “booted out” of the party.
The Prime Minister faced tough questions over the betting scandal that has hit his faltering General Election campaign on a BBC Question Time leaders’ special.
With just two weeks until polling day, a string of people with links to the Conservative Party or No 10 are caught up in allegations about gambling on the timing of the July 4 contest.
I was incredibly angry, incredibly angry to learn of these allegations
A member of the audience asked Mr Sunak, to applause: “Aren’t these emerging allegations about betting on the election date the absolute epitome of the lack of ethics that we’ve had to tolerate from the Conservative Party for years and years?”
The Prime Minister replied: “Well like you, I was incredibly angry, incredibly angry to learn of these allegations.
“It’s a really serious matter. It’s right that they’re being investigated properly by the relevant law enforcement authorities, including as (host) Fiona (Bruce) said, a criminal investigation by the police.
“I want to be crystal clear that if anyone has broken the rules, they should face the full force of the law. And that’s what those investigations are there to do. And I hope that they do their work as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.”
Pressed on calls for their suspension, he suggested he could not comment during the “confidential” probes, but added: “What I can tell you is if anyone is found to have broken the rules, not only should they face the full consequences of the law, I will make sure that they are booted out of the Conservative Party.”
Conservative candidate Laura Saunders earlier said she “will be co-operating with the Gambling Commission” probe, while her husband, the Tories’ director of campaigning Tony Lee, took a leave of absence amid reports the couple were being investigated by the gambling regulator.
