Conservative Party Withdraws Support from Candidates Embroiled in Betting Scandal

The Conservative Party has withdrawn support from Montgomeryshire & Glyndwr candidate Craig Williams as he faces an investigation into betting around the General Election.

Two weeks after it was revealed that Mr. Williams, the Conservative MP for Montgomeryshire until parliament was dissolved, faces a Gambling Commission probe into allegations that he placed a bet on the date of the General Election, the Conservative Party has confirmed it will be withdrawing support.

Bristol North West candidate Laura Saunders has also seen support pulled for her campaign over a similar allegation.

A party spokesman said on Tuesday (June 25): «As a result of ongoing internal enquiries, we have concluded that we can no longer support Craig Williams or Laura Saunders as Parliamentary Candidates at the forthcoming General Election.

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«We have checked with the Gambling Commission that this decision does not compromise the investigation that they are conducting, which is rightly independent and ongoing.»

News that Mr. Williams, who has served as the MP for the area since 2019, placed a bet on the date of the general election just three days before it was announced was

According to the reports, a red flag was automatically raised by Ladbrokes as the bet in Mr. Williams’ name was potentially placed by a “politically exposed person”, and the bookmaker is particularly cautious over “novelty” markets.

The reported £100 bet could have led to a £500 payout as it carried odds of 5/1.

The Lib Dems Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr candidate Glyn Preston said: «I am running in this election to restore integrity to our local politics.»

The Conservatives now have no candidate in our constituency.

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«Meanwhile, Labour has always neglected our rural communities, we have seen that time and time again, whether it’s the policies that triggered recent farming protests or their terrible mismanagement of the Welsh NHS.

«I am asking residents from all political persuasions in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr to consider lending me their vote to ensure our constituency is once again represented by a hard-working local MP as we have had in the past with figures like Alex Carlile and Emlyn Hooson.”

At the time of the investigation, Mr. Williams said : «I have been contacted by a journalist about Gambling Commission inquiries into one of my accounts and thought it best to be totally transparent.

«I put a flutter on the general election some weeks ago. This has resulted in some routine enquiries and I confirm I will fully co-operate with these.

«I don’t want it to be a distraction from the campaign. I should have thought through how it looks.»

The latest YouGov polling had Mr. Williams as being the one safe conservative seat in Wales with all the others being behind or too close to call.

A Gambling Commission spokesperson said: “The Gambling Commission does not typically confirm or deny whether any investigations are underway unless or until they are concluded, or if arrests are made or charges are brought during a criminal investigation.

However, the scandal resulted in a slew of criticism from both fellow party members and opposition, with Former Prime Minister David Cameron labelling the bet as “foolish”, while Labour Leader Keir Starmer has called for the candidates to be suspended from running.