The officer guarding Mr Sunak was first suspended by the Metropolitan police and then arrested on suspicion of official misconduct.
Several allegations emerged Thursday involving bodyguards and aides to British Chancellor Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party for allegedly betting on the July 4 general election.
The Metropolitan police first suspended the officer in charge of protecting Sunak and then arrested him on suspicion of official misconduct.
Shortly afterwards, word leaked that the UK Gambling Commission was investigating several members of the ruling Conservative Party for allegedly betting on the timing of the election. Gambling is permitted in the UK, but bets made using inside information could be banned.
“The matter was immediately reported to officers from the Metropolitan police’s Professional Standards Unit, an investigation was launched and the officer has been removed from duty,” the Metropolitan police told the BBC.
“The officer was subsequently arrested on Monday, June 17, on suspicion of official misconduct. He was remanded in custody and released on bail pending further enquiries,” the Metropolitan police said in a statement.
Three days before Mr Sunak shocked the nation by calling a general election in the summer rather than later this year in the autumn, his close aide, MP Craig Williams, placed a £100 bet at Ladbrokes at odds of 5-to-1, as reported by The Guardian last week.
Mr Williams, 39, is the Conservative candidate for Glyndŵr in Wales and Montgomeryshire. In a statement he said he would “cooperate fully in these matters” and that his “antics” about the election had triggered a “standard investigation”.
“I don’t want to be a distraction from the campaign. I should have thought carefully about how it would look,” he said.
It has since emerged that a second Conservative candidate is also under investigation for allegedly betting on the date of the general election – this one is married to the party’s campaign manager who is thought to be knowledgeable about electoral matters. The Gambling Commission is said to be investigating Laura Sanders, the Conservative candidate for Bristol North West, while her husband, Tony Lee, is said to have been “on leave” from his job.
“The Gambling Commission regulates gambling in the interest of consumers and the general public,” a commission spokesman said.
“The Gambling Commission regulates gambling in the interest of consumers and the general public,” a commission spokesman said.
Under Section 42 of the UK Gambling Act 2005, it is an offence to cheat at gambling or to encourage others to cheat. The Conservatives said that because the Gambling Commission is an independent regulator, “it would not be appropriate to comment further until any proceedings have been completed.”
But Mr Sunak is facing increasing pressure from the opposition Labour Party, with Labour leader Keir Starmer calling for Mr Sanders to be suspended and saying it was “highly symbolic” that no action had been taken.
“If it was one of my candidates, they would have been gone by now and their feet would not have touched the ground,” he said.
Asked about the allegations first made against Craig Williams at the G7 summit in Italy last week, Mr Sunak said it was “very disappointing news” and that “it would not be appropriate for me to comment whilst the Gambling Commission continues its investigation”.
It comes as the embattled Conservative Party continues to slip in pre-election opinion polls, with almost all analyses predicting a major defeat for the ruling party.
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