Keir Starmer accuses Rishi Sunak of being ‘bullied into action’ over election betting scandal
26 June 2024, 20:34 | Updated: 26 June 2024, 21:01
Sir Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of being "bullied" into taking action against Conservatives implicated in the ongoing betting scandal.
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Mr Sunak said he was "furious" to learn about the allegations made against Conservatives and confirmed two people had been suspended following an internal party investigation.
But Sir Keir accused the Prime Minister of being "bullied" into taking action.
The Labour leader said he acted "swiftly" to suspended one Labour candidate who bet on himself to lose the election.
He also referenced Mr Sunak being fined for being involved in a gathering during the Covid pandemic, as well as the money lost through Covid contracts.
On Tuesday, a Labour candidate who was suspended for betting against himself apologised.
Kevin Craig, who is running to become an MP in the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich seat, has been suspended by Labour pending the outcome of a Gambling Commission investigation.
A spokeswoman for Labour said the move came after the party was contacted by the Gambling Commission.
It's believed the bet concerned the outcome of the election in his own constituency, more specifically, that Mr Craig was betting against himself to lose the seat.
It comes as five more police officers have been accused of placing bets on the timing of the election.
The party said they acted immediately after receiving the information and have administratively suspended Mr Craig pending the outcome of the investigation.
