Suspended Labour candidate Kevin Craig "deeply" regrets placing bet The suspended Labour candidate Kevin Craig said he “deeply” regrets putting a bet on the Tories winning in the Suffolk constituency he is contesting. Craig added he will “fully comply” with a Gambling Commission investigation. He wrote on X: “A few weeks ago when I thought I would never win this seat I put a bet on the Tories to win here with the intention of giving any winnings to local charities. While I did not place this bet with any prior knowledge of the outcome, this was a huge mistake, for which I apologise unreservedly.” A summary of today"s developments Four men were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of aggravated trespass at the prime minister’s constituency home in Yorkshire, police said. The suspects were arrested in the grounds of Rishi Sunak’s home in Kirby Sigston, near Northallerton, at around 12:40pm before being escorted off the property, North Yorkshire Police said. The force said the men included a 52-year-old from London, a 43-year-old from Bolton, a 21-year-old from Manchester, and a 20-year-old from Chichester. They remain in police custody and inquiries are ongoing. The Labour party said it is suspending one of its candidates, Kevin Craig, because he is being investigated by the Gambling Commission. Craig is the party’s candidate in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich. It is understood that Craig is being investigated for betting against himself. He said: “I am deeply sorry to the many dedicated and loyal local Labour party volunteers who have been supporting my campaign. I will comply fully with the investigation.” The news broke after a day of other developments in the election betting scandal. This morning, after prevaricating for days, the Conservative party said it was suspending two of its candidates who are being investigated over suspect bets placed on the timing of the election. And this afternoon the Metropolitan police said five more of its officers are being investigated by the commission, also over suspect election date bets. The allegation is that bets were placed by people who had access to inside information about Rishi Sunak opting for July. One of the Tory candidates, Craig Williams, has issued a statement saying that, although he made an error of judgment, he did not commit an offence. Russell George, a Conservative member of the Senedd, has stepped back from the Welsh shadow cabinet as he faces an investigation by the gambling watchdog over alleged bets on the timing of the General Election. George represents Montgomeryshire in the Welsh parliament – the same area that Craig Williams, the Tory candidate who has had party support withdrawn as he faces similar allegations, represented at Westminster. Keir Starmer has vowed to make tackling knife crime a “moral mission” at an emotional meeting with victims’ families and the actor Idris Elba. Victoria Atkins, the health secretary, accused Labour of planning “to eradicate women from our national language” as the Conservatives sought to ramp up attacks on Keir Starmer around gender identity issues. The equalities minister Kemi Badenoch said she “will not shut up” after David Tennant suggested she should at the British LGBT Awards. Badenoch accused the ex-Doctor Who actor of being a “rich, lefty, white male celebrity so blinded by ideology” in a post on X. Tennant, who won Celebrity Ally at a ceremony on Friday, received cheers and applause when he said of the Conservative Cabinet minister: “I don’t wish ill of her, I just wish her to shut up.” Badenoch said in response: “I will not shut up. I will not be silenced by men who prioritise applause from Stonewall over the safety of women and girls.” Russell George, a Conservative member of the Senedd, has stepped back from the Welsh shadow cabinet as he faces an investigation by the gambling watchdog over alleged bets on the timing of the General Election. George represents Montgomeryshire in the Welsh parliament – the same area that Craig Williams, the Tory candidate who has had party support withdrawn as he faces similar allegations, represented at Westminster. Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said: “Russell George has informed me that he has received a letter from the Gambling Commission regarding bets on the timing of the General Election. “Russell George has stepped back from the Welsh Conservative shadow cabinet while these investigations are ongoing. “All other members of the Welsh Conservative Group have confirmed that they have not placed any bets. “I will not issue further comment on this ongoing process, recognising the Gambling Commission’s instruction for confidentiality to protect the integrity of the process.” George said he would “co-operate fully” with the inquiry. In a statement, he said it was “the Gambling Commission, not the media” that has the responsibility and powers to properly probe the matter, and that he would not be commenting further. The former Tory culture secretary Nadine Dorries said there is a “rottenness at the core of the Conservative Party” which has been allowed to develop over several years. Dorries told LBC: “The rebuilding of the Conservative Party, which I know many people in the Conservative Party are talking about now, it has to start from the roots up. “Because there is a rottenness at the core of the Conservative Party which has been allowed to develop over the past number of years, the past six, seven, eight years.” Four men were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of aggravated trespass at the prime minister’s constituency home in Yorkshire, police said. The suspects were arrested in the grounds of Rishi Sunak’s home in Kirby Sigston, near Northallerton, at around 12:40pm before being escorted off the property, North Yorkshire Police said. The force said the men included a 52-year-old from London, a 43-year-old from Bolton, a 21-year-old from Manchester, and a 20-year-old from Chichester. They remain in police custody and inquiries are ongoing. In a statement, North Yorkshire Police said:“We have arrested four people in the grounds of the Prime Minister’s constituency home this afternoon. “Our officers were with the four men within one minute of them entering the grounds. “They were detained at around 12.40pm before being escorted off the property and arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass. “The men aged 52 from London, 43 from Bolton, 21 from Manchester, and 20 from Chichester, remain in police custody for questioning and enquiries are ongoing.” In a separate incident, a car crashed into the gates of Sunak’s official country residence Chequers in Buckinghamshire, police said. The incident took place shortly after midday on Tuesday when a white Volkswagen Scirocco hit the barriers at the entrance. Sunak was not at the manor house at the time and was attending events linked to the Japanese state visit in London. Thames Valley Police said the driver, who was a 44-year-old man from the county, was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and drink driving, and was the only person in the car. A spokesperson added the driver “suffered serious injuries” and was taken to hospital, “where he remains”. “While we are still in the very early stages of our investigation, there is currently no evidence to suggest there was any intention to harm anyone,” the force added. A Conservative politician has become the fifth party figure to be investigated by the gambling watchdog for allegedly placing a suspicious bet on the general election date, as the developing scandal continued to overshadow Rishi Sunak’s campaign, writes Pippa Crerar, Vikram Dodd and Kiran Stacey. The Gambling Commission has informed Russell George, a Tory member of the Welsh parliament who represents the same constituency as Sunak’s closest parliamentary aide Craig Williams, that he is part of its inquiry. The disclosure came after the Tories finally dropped the two Westminster candidates, including Williams, who are under investigation for allegedly placing bets on a July election, after previously standing by them. That U-turn came as the Met has also confirmed that five more police officers have been identified by the watchdog – a week after it announced that a protection officer guarding the prime minister had been arrested for allegedly placing a bet. In a separate development, Labour was also drawn into the gambling row for the first time as the party announced it was suspending Central Suffolk and North Ipswich candidate Kevin Craig after the Gambling Commission launched an investigation. Four men arrested over aggravated trespass at Sunak’s constituency home Four men have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass at Rishi Sunak’s constituency home in Kirby Sigston, North Yorkshire Police said. The force said: “We have arrested four people in the grounds of the Prime Minister’s constituency home this afternoon. “Our officers were with the four men within one minute of them entering the grounds. “They were detained at around 12.40pm before being escorted off the property and arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass. “The men aged 52 from London, 43 from Bolton, 21 from Manchester, and 20 from Chichester, remain in police custody for questioning and enquiries are ongoing.” From The Times’ Steven Swinford on Kevin Craig. The equalities minister Kemi Badenoch has said she “will not shut up” after David Tennant suggested she should at the British LGBT Awards. Badenoch accused the ex-Doctor Who actor of being a “rich, lefty, white male celebrity so blinded by ideology” in a post on X. Tennant, who won Celebrity Ally at a ceremony on Friday, received cheers and applause when he said of the Conservative Cabinet minister: “I don’t wish ill of her, I just wish her to shut up.” Badenoch hit back and said: “I will not shut up. I will not be silenced by men who prioritise applause from Stonewall over the safety of women and girls. “A rich, lefty, white male celebrity so blinded by ideology he can’t see the optics of attacking the only black woman in government by calling publicly for my existence to end. “Tennant is one of Labour’s celebrity supporters. This is an early example of what life will be like if they win. “Keir Starmer stood by while Rosie Duffield was hounded. He and his supporters will do the same with the country. “Do not let the bigots and bullies win.” Tennant is “one of the LGBTQ+ community’s most fierce allies and supporters”, according to the British LGBT Awards, and “often does red-carpet interviews while wearing pins associated with the community. Suspended Labour candidate Kevin Craig "deeply" regrets placing bet The suspended Labour candidate Kevin Craig said he “deeply” regrets putting a bet on the Tories winning in the Suffolk constituency he is contesting. Craig added he will “fully comply” with a Gambling Commission investigation. He wrote on X: “A few weeks ago when I thought I would never win this seat I put a bet on the Tories to win here with the intention of giving any winnings to local charities. While I did not place this bet with any prior knowledge of the outcome, this was a huge mistake, for which I apologise unreservedly.” Early evening summary The Labour party has announced that it is suspending one of its candidates, Kevin Craig, because he is being investigated by the Gambling Commission. Craig is the party’s candidate in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, which used to be a safe Tory seat but which Labour was projected to win, according to some, but not all, MRP polls published recently. It is understood that Craig is being investigated for betting against himself. The news broke after a day of other developments in the election betting scandal. This morning, after prevaricating for days, the Conservative party said it was suspending two of its candidates who are being investigated over suspect bets placed on the timing of the election. And this afternoon the Metropolitan police said five more of its officers are being investigated by the commission, also over suspect election date bets. The allegation is that bets were placed by people who had access to inside information about Rishi Sunak opting for July. One of the Tory candidates, Craig Williams, has issued a statement saying that, although he made an error of judgment, he did not commit an offence. (See 4.15pm.) UPDATE: Kevin Craig has just issued a full statement. He says: Throughout my life I have enjoyed the odd bet for fun whether on politics or horses. A few weeks ago when I thought I would never win this seat I put a bet on the Tories to win here with the intention of giving any winnings to local charities. While I did not place this bet with any prior knowledge of the outcome, this was a huge mistake, for which I apologise unreservedly. I have so much respect for how Keir Starmer has changed the Labour party and I have been fighting so hard to win this seat and change the country alongside him. However, it is right that the party upholds the highest standards for its parliamentary candidates – just as the public expects the highest standards from any party hoping to serve in government. I deeply regret what I have done and will take the consequences of this stupid error of judgment on the chin. I am deeply sorry to the many dedicated and loyal local Labour party volunteers who have been supporting my campaign. I will comply fully with the investigation. Keir Starmer has vowed to make tackling knife crime a “moral mission” at an emotional meeting with victims’ families and the actor Idris Elba. Victoria Atkins, the health secretary, has accused Labour of planning “to eradicate women from our national language” as the Conservatives sought to ramp up attacks on Keir Starmer around gender identity issues. (See 12.10pm.) And here is Archie Bland’s Election Edition briefing on today’s events. Steve Baker, the Northern Ireland minister, has become the latest Tory to say that he would oppose Nigel Farage joining the party. In an interview with Times Radio, Baker said: I know some colleagues want to welcome [Farage] in but in the diverse country that we have today, and particularly in a diverse community like the one that I represent, one must understand how one will be heard when talking about sensitive issues and I’m afraid Nigel just doesn’t, just does not illustrate his capacity to do that. And so for that reason I would not want him within the Conservative party. David Davis, the Tory former Brexit secretary, said it was stupid for colleagues to bet on the timing of the general election. In an interview with Radio 4’s PM programme, he said: Even if it’s not criminal, it’s spectacularly stupid … I would have felt betrayed by the people who work for me making any sort of bet of this sort. But Davis said he thought some sorts of political bet were acceptable. There are times when it’s appropriate enough to bet on things. I mean, I bet on the Brexit vote because I was so annoyed that people said we were going to lose when I thought we would win, but that wasn’t improper. Aubrey Allegretti from the Times says Labour will return the £100,000 donated to the party by Kevin Craig since Keir Starmer became leader. The Labour candidate Kevin Craig is being investigated by the Gambling Commission over an allegation that he bet against himself in his own constituency, Kiran Stacey reports. BREAKING: Labour candidate Kevin Craig is under investigation by the Gambling Commission because he is understood to have bet against himself in his own constituency. Craig himself has not commented on this story. He has been contacted for a response. UPDATE: See 6.10pm for Craig’s response. Here is more from PA Media on Kevin Craig being suspended as a candidate. (See 5.11pm.) A party spokesperson said after being contacted by the Gambling Commission the party acted immediately to administratively suspend him pending investigation. A Labour party spokesperson said: “With Keir Starmer as leader, the Labour party upholds the highest standards for our parliamentary candidates, as the public rightly expects from any party hoping to serve, which is why we have acted immediately in this case.” Labour says it has suspended parliamentary candidate Kevin Craig over Gambling Commission probe Labour has suspended parliamentary candidate Kevin Craig after being told the Gambling Commission has launched an investigation into him, PA Media reports. Craig is the candidate in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich. That is a seat Dan Poulter won for the Tories in 2019 with a majority of 23,391. But some of the recent MRP polls have suggested it was on course to go Labour. And George Osborne, the Tory former chancellor, is one of the 60%. (See 4.40pm.) According to the Telegraph, Osborne told his Political Currency podcast that Rishi Sunak’s response to the betting scandal was “totally inadequate”. The Telegraph quotes Osborne as saying: What Rishi Sunak consistently fails to do is take difficult situations and try and turn them, if not to your advantage, at least to try and illustrate some of your strengths … You think you can hide away and that’s presumably what Sunak’s thinking. Or you try and turn the thing into a moment for you. That’s the kind of raw instinct that I think real political leaders, real strong prime ministers have. YouGov has published polling suggesting 60% of people think Rishi Sunak has handled the election date betting allegations badly. Starmer does not want Labour "big beasts" from past coming back into cabinet posts, Mandelson claims And Peter Mandelson told the Times’ How to win an election podcast that he does not think Keir Starmer will bring back “big beast” former ministers to serve in cabinet. Mandelson held various cabinet posts, including first secretary of state (de facto deputy PM) under Gordon Brown, but he said he definitely would not be getting a job himself from Starmer. He told the podcast: I’m reliably informed that I will not be brought back. That has been made absolutely clear. They don’t want any big beasts coming back to mark anyone’s homework. I would say that Rachel Reeves is a ‘dead cert’ [to be chancellor] should Labour be elected and be given the privilege to serve. David Lammy, absolutely ‘dead cert’ at the Foreign Office and I think other top jobs, no change. Asked if he thought Douglas Alexander, a former international development secretary and former shadow foreign secretary, who lost his seat in 2015 but who he is expected to win a new seat, East Lothian, next Thursday, would be recalled to cabinet, Mandelson said: “It won’t happen, no.” Craig Williams, Tory candidate dropped over election bet, says he committed error, but not an offence Craig Williams, the Tory candidate in Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr who is no longer officially backed by the party because of the bet he placed on the date of the election, has posted a video on X with a message for his electorate. He is pleading for his job. He says he committed “an error of judgment, not an offence” and he in effect downplays the significance of the Gambling Commission’s inquiry into what he did, describing it as “routine”. He also highlights the work he has done for constituents, as MP for Montgomeryshire over the past five years. Here is an extract. I just want a quick message to the constituents of Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr. I remain on the ballot paper come July 4 and I hope to secure your support after years of delivery. I committed an error of judgment, not an offence, and I want to reiterate my apology directly to you. I am fully co-operating with routine inquiries from the Gambling Commission and I intend to clear my name. In all these things, due process is important and that is what sets the UK apart from other countries, and the commission must be allowed to do its work. It’s been a privilege for me to be the member of parliament for the constituency where I was born, raised and now live with my young family. I have been working hard, helping thousands of constituents with our team with everything from benefits to housing, from potholes to energy bills, as well as securing an unprecedented level of investment in our local businesses, communities and high streets, and finally sticking up for farmers, because without farmers there is no food, and without food there is no future. For now, however, the most important thing I want to say to you today is I am committed to my campaign to be elected as your member of parliament and your staunch champion. In fact, Britain is not the only country with a commitment to “due process” in judicial and judicial-type matters. This is normal for democratic countries. When Williams says he did not commit an offence, he is asserting that he was not guilty of cheating under the Gambling Act 2005. Cheating is a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of two years in jail. But Kate Bedford, a law professor, has said that there are arguments about what constitutes cheating and, in this analysis, she argues “the standard of proof needed to void a bet [which is what the Gambling Commission does if it concludes a bet was based on inside information] is obviously going to be lower than that required for proceeding with a criminal investigation”. And while cheating cases do sometimes go to court, there does not seem to be a precedent for a prosecution involving a political bet of this nature. Daniel Finkelstein, the Tory peer and Times columnist, has said that he thinks Rishi Sunak delayed dropping Craig Williams, one of the Tory candidates accused of suspect betting, because of loyalty. Finkelstein told the Times’ How to win an election podcast: My guess is that the reason why they didn’t do it earlier is just simply because Rishi Sunak feels a sense of loyalty to Craig. I suspect that’s the real reason why it didn’t happen, but it was an inevitable thing. Williams was Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary. Two new polls have shown Reform UK’s support down slightly, Alex Wickham from Bloomberg reports. Reform’s poll rating has dipped slightly in the wake of Nigel Farage’s Putin/Ukraine comments - down 3 points to 15% from 18% with @JLPartnersPolls - down 2 points to 14% from 16% with @Savanta_UK - they say it’s “the first real wobble of Reform UK’s campaign” Here are the figures from JL Partners. And here are the figures from Savanta. Both these polls show the Conservative vote share rising. Emma Levin, associate director at Savanta, says: The Conservative death spiral appears to have halted or at least slowed for now, with the first Savanta voting intention in nearly a month which doesn’t show a decrease in their vote share. Craig Williams, who has been dropped by the Tories as a candidate over betting on the election timing, said he had “committed an error of judgment, not an offence” and “I intend to clear my name”, PA Media reports. Hundreds of campaign leaflets for Tory chair Richard Holden have been sent to the wrong constituency, Jessica Paker reports in a story for the BBC. Rachel Reeves attacks SNP for favouring higher personal taxes, but not Labour"s plan for higher windfall tax on energy firms The chair of BMA Scotland, Dr Iain Kennedy, warned this morning that “very existence of a national health service as we know it” is under threat and that the country was “sleep-walking” to a two-tier system of healthcare. Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, picked up on this as she promised an “immediate injection of cash” for public services, particularly the NHS, on a campaign visit to Scotland. She said: The consequentials from cracking down on tax avoidance and tax evasion, making sure that non-doms pay their fair share of tax, are going to be ploughed into the NHS and we would expect the Scottish government to spend that money on NHS in Scotland. Speaking after a tour of the Chivas distillery in the West Dunbartonshire constituency, one of Labour’s top central belt target seats, she reiterated Labour’s commitments not to raise tax but to grow the economy, pointing out that since 2020 there are 6,000 fewer businesses in Scotland and 44,000 fewer people in work. Asked about the SNP argument that they need more powers from Westminster to promote growth, Reeves responded: They’ve got quite a lot of fiscal powers and what are they using them for? They’ve racked up taxes on working people but they refuse to back us on extending the windfall tax on the big profits the energy giants are making. Both Labour and the Conservatives in Scotland have attacked the SNP during the election campaign for what it describes as progressive income tax rises, while pollsters remain ambivalent about whether pledges not to raise taxes actually impress voters. Metropolitan police says five more officers under investigation over suspect bets on election timing The Metropolitan police has announced that five more officers are being investigated in relation to suspect bets on the date of the election, in addition to the protection officer who was arrested. In a statement a Met spokesperson said: We previously confirmed the arrest of a Met officer on Monday, 17 June for misconduct in public office in relation to bets placed on the timing of the general election. The officer – a police constable from the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command – is on restricted duties. It is still the case that only one officer is under criminal investigation. We have, however, been passed information from the Gambling Commission alleging that five further officers have placed bets related to the timing of the election. The Gambling Commission continues to investigate these matters. The officers have not been arrested but the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed. The officers are based on the Royalty and Specialist Command, the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command and the Central West Basic Command Unit. None of them work in a close protection role. Decisions on whether they will be subject to any restrictions will be taken in due course. Lord Frost, the rightwing Tory peer who regularly criticises Rishi Sunak’s leadership of the Tory party, has put out a comment about the party’s decision to drop the two election candidates accused of making suspect bets that is almost identical to what Labour and the Lib Dems are saying. (See 11.19am and 11.30am.) Footballer would be "banned from game" for betting like Tory election candidate, Vaughan Gething claims Vaughan Gething, the Welsh Labour leader and first minister, has claimed that a footballer acting like Craig Williams, the Tory candidate accused of placing a suspect bet on the election date, would be “banned from the game”. Speaking during first minister’s questions, in response to a question from the Conservative MS (member of the Senedd) Natasha Asghar about his own integrity, Gething said: If you really want to talk about scandals – and today is a day to do that, is it not, Natasha Asghar – look at former Conservative Senedd staffer Craig Williams, now finally junked as a Conservative candidate. And let’s be clear if a professional footballer had placed a bet in the way that Craig Williams did, he’d be banned from the game. That’s what would happen. As well as working in the Senedd, Williams has represented two Welsh constituencies as an MP, Cardiff North and Montgomeryshire.